Heroes of Twilight and Relative Dimension in space
by Aros001
Summary: Even after saving Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, the adventures of Link have not ended yet. When a strange creature and an even stranger man come to Hyrule, Link is once again thrown into an adventure of time and space that takes him far beyond his world.
1. The creature in the Sacred Grove

**This takes place after the events of "Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" and before "Time of the Doctor" (but still the 11th Doctor). All characters belong to their respective companies.**

**Spoilers ahead for both franchises (though Wikipedia is recommend if you don't care about spoilers and/or don't want to be completely lost on who everyone is).**

**Part 1: The creature in the Sacred Grove**

"Link...I...See you later."

Link woke up. He hated that dream. Not just because it kept coming back, but because he didn't like the memory it was from. He sat up in his bed and gazed out the window. It was still very dark, likely hours before dawn, not that it mattered that much to him. He'd gotten far too used to lack of sleep during his past journey than was probably good for him anyway.

Rubbing his face with his hands, he fell back into his bed and gazed up at the ceiling, remembering said journey. It had been months now since it had ended, though only a few weeks since he finally returned to Ordon village. So many big things that had happened. So many that had directly affected him or that he had tossed himself headfirst into. His village was attacked. Another dimension crossing over into theirs. Getting turned into a wolf. Becoming the hero of legend. Fighting impossibly large monsters. Killing the king of evil. Saving a princess, all of Hyrule and the Twilight realm.

Gaining someone important to him and then losing her forever.

He understood why Midna had done it, of course. She told him right before she did: light and shadow cannot mix. In order for both the light world and Twilight realm to be safe from evil such as Ganondorf and Zant, the Mirror of Twilight, the only connection between the two worlds, had to be destroyed.

When it was all over, Link had gotten on Epona and searched. He checked every spot where they'd marked on his map that the Twilight portals had been, to see if any had remained. Those portals had allowed Link and Midna to travel nearly anywhere in all of Hyrule in seconds, and due to being formed by the two dimensions crossing, there was a chance that they could be used to lead back to the Twilight realm. If any would have asked, he'd have claimed he was just being cautious. Zant's attack on the light world had nearly killed so many, it would have been foolish to leave anything to chance.

This was the truth for why to do it. It was also a lie for why he had done it. He didn't want anyone to still be in danger, but if even one remained, then that would mean the two dimensions were still somehow connected, that somehow he and Midna would be able to meet again.

But regardless of truth or lies, the fact was that none remained. All the portals had closed when Midna destroyed the mirror. The Light world and Twilight realm were now forever separate from each other. The power of one realm could never again be abused by or used against any being of the other.

And Link would never see Midna again.

...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"LINK!"

Link awoke with a start to the banging on his door. Slightly amazed he had actually drifted off to sleep, he leaped from his bed and ran to the door, opening it to reveal Colin, one of the kids from the village. He was trembling terribly.

"Colin, what's the matter?" Link asked.

"It's my dad." Colin said, fear sputtering from his voice. "One of his friends who went with him to the Sacred Grove a few days ago arrived minutes ago really badly wounded. He said that something there attacked them. He couldn't tell what it was, but it made the ground explode when it found them and it had this terrible voice. They got separated so he ran back here as fast as he could. Link, my dad's still there! That thing could have...could have..." Colin was on the verge of tears.

Link got down on one knee and placed his hands on Colin's shoulders. "Colin, don't think like that." He said. "Your dad survived being attacked by those dark Twilight creatures and protected the village when the invasion was happening. He's going to be alright."

Colin started to calm down. "I'll go to the Sacred Grove to bring him back, ok?" Link said.

Colin sniffed. "Thank you, Link. I'm sorry I'm placing all this on you. I wish I could do something to help."

"You're doing plenty to help." Link said. "You're protecting the village while we're gone and you're building yourself up so that one day you can keep this village safe from anything that might hurt it. That's more than anyone could ever ask for."

Link smiled at the kid and he couldn't help but smile back. Link always made everything seem like it was going to be ok.

Colin left to go get the Golden Cucco while Link went inside to gear up for his trip. He packed a few bombs and arrows, a bottle of blue potion, his bow, the Hylian shield, and a sword Rusl had made for him. He briefly considered wearing the Hero's clothes again, but decided that it would be overkill, given that they were only ever worn by the Hero when all of Hyrule was in greatest danger. Something he hoped was not the case or Rusl may already be dead. After receiving the Golden Cucco from Colin, Link left for the Grove.

...

After finally reaching the cliff where he'd jump off and glide using the Golden Cucco (a bird with the heart of a poet which actually made Link glad he could no longer understand animals), Link looked off into the distance to were the Sacred Grove would be. And seeing smoke rise from it! Some of the Grove was on fire! Worrying somehow more for Rusl's safety, Link leapt off and glided towards the forest.

...

Link finally landed in the Grove. He had not been here since he put the Master Sword back to rest. Things had changed considerably in the forest since then. Many branches as well as much of the ground was either singed or destroyed. He could even make out a few of the Skull Kid's puppets among the wreckage. Link walked along carefully through the forest, searching for any signs of Rusl's group. After a while of searching did he find some of them, though not how he wanted them to be. Body upon body laid dead on the ground. Some had very bad burns and wounds, as though they'd been hit by a bomb. But even stranger were those Link had found who had no injuries whatsoever, yet were just as dead as the others. After inspecting each one of them, Link could at least take comfort in one small thing. Rusl's body was not among them, so there was still a chance he was alive.

Noting to himself to properly bury them later when this was all over, Link continued on through the Grove. After some time he finally noticed something. It was far too quiet in the Grove. He heard no sound from any of the animals that lived there. Looking around for more than just Rusl, Link found many dead animals with the same injuries, or mysterious lack of injury, likely being what killed them.

Link snapped out of his sickening horror when he heard the movement of leaves ahead of him. Quickly pulling out his shield and sword, he put up his guard and advanced toward the noise. Only to then have the Skull Kid running out of the bushes a few feet ahead right towards him. Link lessened his guard, remembering that the Skull Kid, while having a strange and annoying sense of playing, tended to not have any malice intent towards anyone. But then Link saw, on the Skull Kid's always smiling face, a look of pure fear. Before Link could say something to it, a thin beam of light struck the Skull Kid from behind and for a terrible brief second, Link could actually see through the Skull Kid down to its skeleton. With that second over, it fell down dead. Link would have stared for who knows how long at the now dead body, shocked over what he'd just seen happen. But the figure that now came into view, it was like nothing Link had ever seen before.

Seemingly gliding across the Grove floor, the creature was almost as tall as he was and had a body that he could only describe as like a giant metal spice jar. It had two small appendages, one with some kind of cup on the end of it. The bottom half of its body was cover in large bumps and the top half had some kind of poll sticking out of its front with a bright blue circle on it. It also had two points on the top of its head that lit up when it spoke. And no wonder Rusl's friend had to mention its voice, because when it spoke to Link, in its high, shrilly, almost echoing voice, Link knew instantly only one thing about this 'thing'.

It wanted to kill him.

It was going to kill him.

And Link feared for his life when the creature cried out only one word.

"EXTERMINATE!"

The creature fire a beam of light out of its smaller appendage. Instinct saved Link's life as he threw up his Hylian shield to protect himself. The creature fired again, only this time when the beam hit his shield it hit with the force of an explosion and Link was sent flying back.

Falling flat on his back, Link quickly rolled out of the creature's targeting and back to his feet. He pulled out his sword and charged at the creature, ducking and rolling whenever he thought it would fire again. Finally Link managed to get behind the creature. He swung his sword at its body, but the blow was deflected just before contact! Ducking and rolling around the creature whenever it tried to face him, Link attacked it with his sword again and again, but to no avail. The creature had some kind of energy barrier around it that prevented his sword from directly contacting its body.

He had to get away. To put some distance between the two of them so that he could see if his bomb arrows could do anything against it. As soon as he got behind the creature again, Link dove through the bushes and ran, hoping to find a spot out of the creature's range. But more of the creature's beams came from behind, nearly hitting him. Link looked and saw the creature was quickly approaching (_"How could something that looks like that move so easily through a forest?!"_ Link couldn't help but think). It continued to advance on him and fire, with Link doing everything he could to get away. He could run or he could dodge, but he couldn't do both effectively enough to survive.

Suddenly something grabbed Link's arm and yanked him to the side, pulling him along as it ran as well. Link looked up and it was Rusl.

"Link! What are you doing here?!" Rusl yelled at between breaths.

"One of your friends made it back to the village." Link said, running to keep up with him. "He said that you'd been attacked by something he'd never seen before. Colin asked me to help find you!"

They finally stopped running when they'd reached some of the ruins of the Sacred Grove. "You should not have come here, Link." Rusl said, his hands on his knees and panting from exhaustion. "That thing killed the others already. We don't need you to die here too."

Before Link could retort, both heard the distant rustling of leaves.

"It's still following us." Rusl said in disbelief. He stood there for a moment think, then turned to Link. "Link, you have to run. I'll distract it and lead it away, but you have to get back to the village and warn everyone about this thing."

"No!" Link said. "I'm not just going to leave you here to get killed by that thing! I can help you!"

"Don't argue with me, Link!" Rusl yelled at him. "I know that you have fought and killed plenty of monsters that no one else could have stood a chance against, but both of us and the others have tried everything we could to destroy this thing and none of it worked. We need help and preparation. We have a far greater chance of killing this thing if you're the one who goes back to the village than if I do."

Without letting Link say another word, Rusl ran off towards the noise. When he finally found the creature, Rusl pulled out his sword and continuously tried attacking the creature. He knew it wouldn't hurt it, but at least he managed to get its full attention. Rusl then ran, making sure to keep himself just within range of where the creature could see him.

He had no idea how long he ran for. His exhaustion and the strain on his muscles made it feel like he ran for hours, though in all likelihood it was just a couple of minutes. He knew he couldn't keep it up forever and he was soon proved right. For one of the creature's beam, though it missed him, hit the ground directly in front of him, causing him to run directly at exploding ground. He was knocked straight into the air before landing hard on his side. He tried to get up but the pain said otherwise. Rusl looked at his leg, his now bloody, burned, and mangled leg. The creature advanced upon him, the glimmer of the flames reflecting off its body, making it look like something directly out of a child's worst nightmare.

Rusl couldn't get up. He couldn't run. And there was no way he'd survive the creature's weapon. This was his end.

Rusl closed his eyes tightly, facing away from the creature, now only able to think of his family. His son, his wife, his new baby. He'd never see them again.

The creature stopped and took aim...

...And was then hit by a bomb arrow.

Rusl snapped his head up at the sound of it. The arrow had exploded the instant it hit the creature's energy barrier, creating great amounts of smoke that prevented the creature from seeing anything around it. Rusl looked around but couldn't see where it had come from. Then he heard "Rusl! Run!"

Rusl looked towards where the noise had come from and saw Link off in the distance. He had managed to climb to the top of the walls of the old ruins and was preparing to fire another arrow.

"Link, I told you to get out of here!" yelled Rusl. "You need to protect the village!"

"You're family needs YOU there to protect them!" Link yelled back. "It doesn't matter how strong anyone else is who protects them because they won't be you. They need YOU! Now GO!"

The domed head of the creature rotated towards Link, its metal eyestalk locking onto him. Link fired off the next bomb arrow he had prepared, refilling the air with the smoke that had cleared while they'd been yelling at each other.

Rusl could have stayed. He could have continued to insist that the village would need Link more than it would him. And he'd be right. But Link was right too. Regardless of what happened with this creature, his family would still need him. He couldn't die yet.

He had to trust in Link.

Rusl couldn't run but he could still roll, and that he did, rolling away from the creature as fast as he could, into and through numerous bushes and grasses. Rusl thought it must be a hilarious sight, a man rolling for his life. He'd laugh too if it weren't so painful.

Link continued firing at the creature to cover Rusl's escape. Not that it would go after him at that moment anyway. Link had its full, undivided attention, likely, Link guessed, because he'd succeeded in pissing it off.

The creature moved towards Link's location, Link relieved to see it wasn't firing at him. "I must be out of its range." Link thought to himself. The creature's beams may be powerful, but he doubted it could destroy the wall he was on. The ruins had existed longer than anything else in Hyrule and wouldn't crumble easily.

The creature got to the ruins, its eyestalk still fixed on Link. It fired at him, but the ledge prevented Link from being hit. Link felt slightly more relief. It couldn't get him. Its appendages may be able to kill in one shot, but he doubted they could be used to climb.

The creature stopped firing and just look right up at him. Link placed his next arrow on the string, thinking maybe he could at least use it to knock out the creature's eye. But then the creature spoke again, the lights on its head flashing as it did.

"ELEVATE."

Link couldn't believe what he was seeing. The creature started floating slowly above the ground, getting higher and closer to him. The thing could fly!

Link fired arrow after arrow at it, hoping to somehow stop the creature before it got to him. When it got to eye level with him, it fired its beam at the same moment Link shot his arrow. The two collided, the resulting explosion knocking Link off the other side of the wall and several feet down.

His body nearly went into shock from the impact. He fumbled around for his shield, pulling it out just in time to catch another of the creature's beams. The creature was flying towards him, beam after beam of the explosive energy pushing Link back. The Hylian shield was indestructible but Link was not. Each beam was like a bomb against his shield and he could feel his arms almost breaking from the pressure of the assault. But even over the impacts, Link could still hear the creature's screams of "EXTERMINATE! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!"

The blasts continued, on and on, each worse than the last due to the increasing lack of distance between the two. Finally Link was pushed against something. Fearing for a second that he'd just been cornered against a wall, Link glanced behind him and saw it was the Master Sword, stuck in its resting place where he'd left it.

_"If there was ever anything that could..."_ thought Link.

Timing it for the second after one the creature's beams finished hitting his shield, Link leaped back, pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal, then sprang forward and drove the sword directly through the creature's eyestalk into its domed head, the energy barrier bouncing wildly off the sword. The creature screamed in a voice that was a mix of both pain and rage. It took aim to fire at Link again, but Link, pulling the sword out, rolled around the creature so they were back to back, and thrust the sword as hard as he could behind him into the creature's body.

The screaming grew louder. The creature now feared for its life. It flailed around wildly, shooting everything around it to try and get him. But Link managed to avoid being hit and finally, after managing to pull the sword out once more, Link leaped up and dove the sword straight down into the creature's head. Sparks and purple blood sprayed out from the metal, the screaming reaching its highest pitch, until it finally stopped.

Battle over, Link collapsed backwards onto the ground, completely exhausted. He laid there for a few minutes, finally able to catch his breath. It was only for a few, though, because as much as his body was against it, he still needed to get up, find Rusl, and make the hike back to the village.

So Link moved to get up, but as he was doing so, he noticed some etchings on the floor. Link brushed them off, seeing that they were Hylian writing. Oddly though, even though the markings looked hundreds of years old, they were written in modern Hylian.

_"How is that even possible?"_ thought Link. Cleaning off the writing some more, Link read what they said.

_"To you who just defeated the Dalek (you know, that big metal thing that kept yelling Exterminate), take the Master Sword with you. Trust me, you're gonna need it."_

Link was now utterly baffled. A message had been left for him. A message written hundreds of years ago yet somehow in modern Hylian. And whoever wrote the message somehow knew he wouldn't see it until after he'd just killed the creature (_"...which apparently is called a Dalek."_). Not knowing what to make of the message, Link decided it would be best to follow its instructions, at least until he got more information on what was going on.

Link went over to the Dalek and pulled the sword out, the purple blood dripping from it. Feeling curious, Link looked into the hole the sword had made. Inside was some kind of deformed tentacled creature with one eye (at least Link thought it had been an eye. The sword went through it so it was hard to tell.). The metal was not the Dalek, just the armor being used by the creature that had been living inside.

Had been.

Wiping the blood off the sword, Link sheathed it and went looking for Rusl. He found him hidden in some bushes, tying splints to his damaged leg. Both were relieved to see the other still alive. Helping Rusl to his feet, both limped out of the grove.


	2. The strange, strangely dressed man

**Part 2: The strange, strangely dressed man**

A few days later, after recovering from a majority of his own wounds, Link decided to check up on Rusl. He went through the village and was greeted at Rusl's house by his wife Uli, who was cradling their recently born daughter in her arms.

"Link! How are you?" she asked as soon as she saw him.

"I'm fine. I just came to see how Rusl's doing." Link said. "This isn't a bad time is it?"

Uli shook her head with a smile. "Link, after everything you've done for us, believe me, you are welcome here anytime." she said.

She lead him inside, directing him over to where Rusl was sitting down, his now bandaged up leg resting on a chair in front of him.

"Link, good to see you. What bring you over?" he asked.

"I just wanted to see how your leg's doing." Link said, looking over at it, noticing some dried blood on the bandages that must have leaked through.

Rusl saw this and chuckled. "Don't worry. It looks a lot worse than it is. Then again, you saw how mangled it was at first so you know that's not too hard."

Realizing his joke wasn't helping much to ease Link, Rusl said "Look, Link, its ok. Sure it still hurts a bit and I sure won't be running with the goats anytime soon, but it'll get better. If you hadn't had that blue potion on you and especially if you hadn't killed that monster, I'd have been a lot worse off. You did good, so cheer up, ok?"

Link smiled and let himself relax a little.

"Besides," Rusl said. "I just need to stay off my feet for a little while and I'll be back on them again in no time."

"Assuming of course that you actually follow your own advice." Uli commented. She turned to Link. "You know my husband, always stressing out about protecting the village, worry about what might happen next. Between you and him, it's no wonder that Colin is always training with that sword you gave him."

Rusl laughed, helping Link relax a little more. "Well, this is Hyrule." Rusl said. "It always seems that as soon as you sit back down some new big thing knocking at the door."

"Hard to disagree with you there." Link said as he sat down across from Rusl.

...At that very moment, knocking was heard at the front door.

Both Rusl and Link had to take a moment to just look over at each other.

Uli opened the door. It was a royal knight from Hyrule castle.

"I'm sorry to bother you." The knight said. "But I'm looking for someone by the name of Link. The other villagers told me that he's here."

Link stood up and walked to the door. "I'm Link." he said.

The knight looked him over for a minute. "You're shorter than you were described." he said.

Rusl, coughing to gain the knights attention, asked "Excuse me, but what is this about?"

The knight, not looking away from Link, said "I need to take you back with me to Hyrule castle. Princess Zelda has requested a personal and private meeting with you." The knight then glancing over at Rusl and Uli. "I asked some girl in the village to prepare you horse for you. We need to leave immediately."

Not seeing how he could refuse a meeting with the princess, Rusl nodded to him and Link and the knight exited the home. They went to Link's house so get Link's horse, Epona, who was being saddled up by Ilia, Link's closest friend since childhood. Though normally she'd be worried about Epona making such a long trip, this time she was worrying about Link.

"Link, what's going on?" she asked when he got over to her.

"I don't know." he said. "Apparently, Zelda really needs to see me."

"But why send a knight to get you? Why not just send a letter?" Ilia asked.

The knight interrupted. "Because there are things that cannot be said through just letters, now I'm sorry but we need to get going!"

Link and Ilia took a moment to exchange looks, Ilia's saying "Be careful." and Link's saying "I'll be fine."

Link jumped up onto Epona, the knight went to the village entrance to get on his horse, and both rode off to Hyrule castle.

...

Arrival at Hyrule Castle brought back memories. Link had only ever been there three other times in his life, twice as a wolf, and each time involved many things trying to kill him. Hopefully it wouldn't be the case this time, but he'd never heard of Princess Zelda having many social visits with people, so who knows?

The more he thought about it he realized that it was also where he and Midna first met. He couldn't help but laugh to himself about how insufferable she'd been back then. The rude, bossy little imp he'd only put up with at first because he had no other choice. Strange that after one journey together they'd grown so close. And months after it all ended he'd do anything to see her again.

"Boy! Come on!"

Link snapped to attention at the knight yelling at him. He'd been so lost in thought ("_I need to quit doing that._") that he hadn't realized he'd been standing in front of the castle for 5 minutes. Link ran into the castle to catch up with the knight. It was about as large as he remembered, but the lack of Bulblins and such was a nice change from last time.

The two walked further up and up into the castle, finally stopping at Princess Zelda's room. Link thought it odd. Why meet with him here instead of the throne room?

The knight let Link into the room, but there was no one inside. After he and Link were both in the room, the knight closed the door behind him.

Link tensed himself, preparing to fight in case this was a trap (though he wished he'd brought some weapons with him).

"What's going on? Where's Zelda?" Link demanded.

The knight straightened himself up, trying to look professional, but Link could see a slight grim feeling in his face.

"What I'm about to tell you must not be repeated outside of this room, is that understood?" the knight told him. "This is something currently known only by the royal guard and we have been forbidden to talk about it because of the panic it would cause."

Link, needing to know what was going on, nodded in agreement.

The knight took a breath. "Princess Zelda is missing." he said.

Link couldn't hide his shock. Missing? Could it be Ganandorf again?

"Do you know how?" Link asked him.

"We think we know who is responsible." the knight said. "It happened about a week ago. A strangely dressed man arrived at the castle. He talked fast and had papers claiming he was some secret knight in service to the Princess and that he really needed to talk to her. With the level of rank he seemed to have we couldn't exactly stop him from entering. He had us take him straight to her, not letting us question him and he wouldn't even give us his real name. He just kept calling himself The Doctor.

"When he made it to Zelda, she didn't seem to know who he was either. But when we were about to take him away to the dungeons, he said he needed to know what she knew about a 'black and white world he'd misplaced a few things in'. His exact words. And the Princess ordered us to stop and let her speak with him in private."

_"A black and white world?"_ Link thought. _"He couldn't have meant the Twilight Realm, could he?"_

The knight continued. "They talked in this room, completely alone, doors closed, and none of the guards allowed in. After some time we heard some commotion inside and a minute later the Doctor came out of the room and told us that the Princess vanished!"

"So you think this Doctor person is responsible?" Link asked.

"We don't exactly have any other leads to follow and all sense points in his direction." the knight responded.

"So where is he?" Link asked.

"We don't know." the knight said, some shame mixing with the worry on his face. "As soon as we saw that the Princess was gone we took him in for questioning. He kept claiming he didn't know what had happened, so we threw him into the dungeon until we could figure out what to do. But when we went to check on him later he was gone. He'd somehow opened the lock from the inside and escaped from the castle. He could be anywhere in all of Hyrule by now."

Link took a moment to think. The creature in the Sacred Grove, the writing in the ruins. Could they be connected to this Doctor somehow? And what did he need to know about the Twilight Realm?

But then something occurred to him. "You said that the guard was forbidden to talk about this. So why are you telling me?" Link asked.

The knight explained. "After the Twilight invasion, Princess Zelda made it very clear to us that if anything mysterious was to happen to her, you were to be completely informed. Apparently you did a great service for her during that time and she spoke very highly of you, though she never told us exactly what you did. She claimed it was to protect your privacy."

Link had completely forgotten that Zelda talked to him about that. She'd told him that she wanted to tell the people of Hyrule who'd saved them from Ganon and the Twilight invasion, so they'd know who to thank. But Link asked her not to, as he really didn't want all that attention and praise on him. Knowing what it's like having all eyes focused on you, she understood and accepted his wishes, telling Hyrule instead that it was simply the banding together of good people from both the worlds of light and shadow against something truly evil that had stopped Ganon.

"Link..." the knight said. "Will you please help us find this Doctor and rescue Princess Zelda?"

Link smiled to him. "Of course I'll help."

The knight's face brightened up. "Well then, there's not a moment more to lose!"

...

The knight walked and talked Link through the exact details of the day the Princess vanished and showed Link the cell the Doctor had escaped from, which showed no signs of any damage and no clues as to how he'd managed to escape. Link couldn't help but think _"If only I could still turn into a wolf, I might have been able to track his scent."_

The knights all described what the Doctor had looked like (while simultaneously showing their distaste that some young punk was brought in to do their jobs (nearly all of them at one time or another could be heard saying "He's shorter than I thought he'd be.")). His odd shoes, his strangely well-tailored clothes, his scruffy hair, and the weird bow he kept tied around his neck.

After hours in the castle, Link came to an important conclusion. That he had absolutely no idea what he should do. During his quest he often had the Light Spirits guide him to where his next destination was and he'd had Midna to talk to about what their best options were. Without them he was completely lost on how to save Zelda.

The only idea he had was that they should take another look at the Dalek. Given the timing of the creature's appearance and the Princess going missing, it seemed like too much of a coincidence. Link told the knights about the creature and they agreed with him, happy that they finally might have some direction. The knights agreed that some of them would go to the Sacred Grove, bringing along someone like Auru or Shad to study the Dalek remains (though they would not be told the exact reasons for why). Link would go back to his house to collect his gear and meet them there.

...

Riding Epona all the way back to Ordon Village, Link kept pondering over what the knight had told him. What did this Doctor have to do with the Twilight realm? He was physically described as a normal looking Hylian, though no pointy ears, so he was definitely not a Twili. But there was something that weighed more on Link's mind. The Doctor said he had misplaced something there. That meant that he had been there somehow before and had made it back to the light world. With the Twilight mirror destroyed that shouldn't have been possible. And now he was looking for a way back...

When they finally arrived a Link's house, he disembarked Epona and left her in her usual space. He walked up to his house and then noticed something when he looked up. There was smoke coming out of his chimney.

_"Someone's in my house!"_

He climbed up the ladder that led to his door. _"It could just be Ilia or someone else wanting to surprise me when I got back."_ Link thought to himself. _"But given everything that's been happening lately, I'd better be prepared to fight."_

Link careful reached for the doorknob...

...And the door flew open with a young man standing in the doorway.

"It's about time you got here! I've been waiting forever!" the man said to him.

"...What?" was the only thing Link could think to say.

The man seemed to grow more impatient. "Well, this is your house isn't it? So you shouldn't need an invitation, now come on!" the man said as he grabbed Link by the arm and dragged him into the house.

Link tumbled around trying to stay on his feet. When he finally regained his balance he saw that his kitchen was an absolute mess. Pans and flour were scattered about everywhere. On the table looked to be some kind of fried, breaded meat and a bowl of some kind of yellow goo.

The man walked over to Link, talking with some kind of accent he'd never heard before. "Look, sorry about my behavior but I've been waiting for quite a while and I really don't do well with down time. I need to keep moving." the strange man said, his hands waving about as he spoke. "You know what I did while gone? I went fishing. Fishing! Because I was so bored! How is it even possible to be so bored that fishing is more exiting?! Thankfully I eventually got bored with that too and came back here to find these cool grappling hook things and used those instead." The man pointing over to the dripping wet clawshots.

"You stole my clawshots?" Link said.

"Borrowed, and they work really well for catching fish. Why don't more people use those things for that? It'd make it much less boring. Here, try this." the man said, taking one of the fried meats covered with the goo and sticking it in Link's mouth.

It tasted weird. Then it tasted strange. And then Link almost threw up.

"Ok, good. So it's not just me then." the man said, handing Link a pot he could use. "It's so weird though. I've been trying for forever to get the recipe right but it's never as good as what you could buy in a store. Suppose it would help if I ever read any recipes but those are always so bossy-"

"STOP!" Link finally burst out, for even his patience has limits. "Please, just tell me who you are and why you are here."

"Oh, sorry about that. Forgot I hadn't told you." The man stood up straight. "I'm the Doctor."

Link stopped nearly heaving into the pot and looked at the man. No longer distracted by the man's weirdness, Link could see the knight's descriptions were spot on. The strange clothes, the strange shoes, and for whatever reason, a bow around his neck.

"You're the Doctor?" Link asked. "The one who-"

"-Was with your Princess Zelda when she disappeared? Yes, I am. By the way you should be careful about who you blurt that information out to. For all you know I could have been lying." The Doctor said. "I do that from time to time, but not this time. I'm fairly sure of that."

Link put the pot down and fully got to his feet. "Do you know where she is?" he asked.

"Yes and no." The Doctor said. "I mostly know where she is and partially have no idea."

Link looked at him with confusion. "How does that work?"

"Well...when we were talking, getting along swimmingly, nice girl, your princess. A bit too serious but I've had worse encounters with royalty. Anyway...we were talking. She was willing to help me out with my situation when next thing you know, bing, bang, boom! A portal opens up in the room, something drags her into it, and before I can try leaping in myself, it closes. So I know where she went in, I'm just not entirely sure where she came out. Least I'm assuming she came out somewhere, that's what portals do. If it was only one end then it'd just be a, well, hole."

"What did the portal look like?" Link asked.

"Here, I drew a picture of it while I was waiting." The Doctor said, handing the drawing over to Link. To Link's complete amazement, it was one of the Twilight portals he and Midna had used to travel around Hyrule (it was also the most detailed picture Link had ever seen in his life).

"Yeah, I was waiting so long I just kept on adding more and more to the drawing." The Doctor said, looking over Link's shoulder. "Seriously, you need to come home more often, it's rude to keep your unexpected guests waiting."

Link keep looking at the drawing. "I'm guessing by the look on your face you know something about it." The Doctor said to him.

Link rubbed his eyes. "It's a Twilight portal." he said. "During the Twilight invasion they were all over Hyrule. A...friend of mine from the Twilight realm...she had the power to let us travel around Hyrule, because they were all connected to each other."

Link then thought of something. "If Zelda went into one of these portals then she's probably still in Hyrule!" Link said.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." The Doctor said.

"Why not?" Link asked.

"Because portals have two ends. You go through one you come out the other and vice versa. That's why you were going from one point in Hyrule to another. But I got to Hyrule from one of those portals yet I did not start from some place in Hyrule, this world, or even likely this universe."

Link caught that last point. "What do you mean this universe?" he asked, skeptically.

The Doctor pulled out two chairs and sat down in one of them, eating some of the food he made while doing so.

"Sit down, why don't you?" he said, offering the chair to Link. "We've got a lot to talk about."


	3. A reason to leave

**Part 3: A reason to leave**

"Basically, I'm not from your universe." The Doctor explained. "I'm from a parallel universe that exist alongside yours but completely separated. Usually, but I'll get to that in a minute. I'm a Time Lord from a planet called Gallifrey. To be honest the odds that we'd look a thing like each other are astronomical. Well, apart from the pointy ears anyway, we didn't have that. Though we did get some pretty sharp noses, though that doesn't feel quite as impressive. But yeah, both of us basically looking amazingly humanoid."

Link was confused by that last part. "Humanoid?" he asked.

"Oh! Right! You don't have humans on this planet, you have Hylians. Sorry about that." the Doctor said. "I just usually hang around with this species called humans and whenever we meet another species that looks like them, they insist that we call them humanoid. Because apparently saying they look 'Time Lordian' just sounds silly.

"Anyway, my friend Clara and I were traveling around in my ship, the Tardis, just going about and having some laughs, when, out of pretty much nowhere, one of those portals opened up and dragged us into it, with us bouncing around every which way and hitting the sides of the portal way too hard to have done us any good. Now, the Tardis was not meant to travel between universes, so she was having a very hard time of it. I was afraid she was gonna break down like she did the last time we travelled to another universe.

"But then she stopped. And everything felt still. Too still. I managed to get a glimpse outside using the Tardis monitor and everything looked black and white. Except for the sky, which was this strange orange color."

Link was on the edge of his seat. This place definitely sounded like the Twilight realm. "So what then?" Link asked, needing to know more.

"I'm not entirely sure." The Doctor continued. "All of a sudden the portal that took us there pulled me again, only this time it was just me. I could see that Clara and the Tardis were not moving for some reason. Next thing I know I'm tumbling though the portal, bouncing around, feeling like parts of me were disintegrating when suddenly WHAM!" the Doctor said, slapping his palm on the table hard enough to startle Link. "...I found myself in your world."

"So there I was and am. Trapped in another universe with no Tardis, no companion, and no fez anywhere that I looked. It took me about a full hour until I could finally understand and speak Hylian and another hour until I realized my best option was to go to your capital and talk to your princess."

"How'd you know Zelda knew anything about the Twilight realm?" Link asked.

"I didn't." the Doctor said. "But we Time Lords have this interesting ability. We can feel the motion of the universe around us, the spinning of planets and galaxies. But in this universe it's different. As time went on I realized that I wasn't feeling the planets and galaxies just rotating around each other. I could feel the universe, the everything, moving around some single point in that castle. And when I finally got in there, I saw that it was her."

"The universe is revolving around Zelda? How?" Link asked.

"I don't know. And I didn't bring it up with her either." The Doctor said, obviously a bit upset that there was something he didn't understand. "Telling a woman that the entire universe revolves around her? Could be taken as big romantic gesture or another way of calling her fat. Given my history I didn't trust my chances.

"Anyway, about my talk with your princess. After I told her my story, she told me about that little adventure you lot had a while ago with another dimension nearly combining with your own. She called it the Twilight Realm and based on what I described, that's likely where Clara and the Tardis are. But, like I told you before, she got taken by one of those portals before she could lead me to 'where the two worlds intersect', as she described it. Before she was completely taken, she told me told find Link, i.e. you, because you could help."

_"Where the two worlds intersect? Did she mean the Mirror chamber?"_ thought Link.

"So," the Doctor said. "Here I am. What can you do?"

Link thought it out for a moment while the Doctor ate some more of his strange food. Finally he said "I once travelled into the Twilight Realm using the portal created by the Twilight mirror. It was used a long time ago to send Hyrule's enemies to a prison they could not escape from and it was the only way to travel between the two worlds. It was only ever used in the Mirror chamber in the Gerudo desert, so I'm guessing that's where Zelda wanted to take you."

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming." The Doctor said.

"But Midna destroyed the mirror so that the two worlds could never meet again." Link continued. "And Zelda knows that. She was there when Midna did it!"

The Doctor got to his feet and started walking around Link's house, hands behind his back and his head looking lazily around. "Well, see, that mirror is actually one of the more interesting parts of all this." The Doctor pointed out. "You see, travel between dimensions is actually theoretically impossible. I've done it many times before and let me tell you, it is a chore. Punching a hole from one dimension into another, passing through the void, which is no time or space, in order to get there. Do you really think that just breaking the entrance to somewhere means there's no way back into it?"

"It was no ordinary mirror." Link said.

"Correct! Because it's not an ordinary mirror!" The Doctor said, snapping his fingers to point at Link. "It's a door to another dimension. It lets people in and out. It opens and closes, but what does a door need in order to do that? A doorway.

"You destroyed the door, but the hole that connects the two dimensions is likely still there. It's just that no one knows how to get through it again."

Link started to understand what the Doctor was saying. "But you do?" he asked.

The Doctor smiled. "Not yet, but, I am more likely to think of how to do it than anyone else." he said, slight smugness in his voice. "So," The Doctor said reaching out his hand. "Want to help me save my friend, my Tardis, and your princess by traveling to an impossible location, from which we might never return?"

Link stood up. "Probably shouldn't be much harder than last time." he said and shook the Doctor's hand.

The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Alright! It's a quest then!" He said. "Oh, I haven't been on one of those since good old Arthur! Though I'll admit I am rather cross that history never got my name right during that. Seriously, how do you get 'Merlin' from 'The Doctor'?"

Deciding it was best not to ask, Link said "Just let me get my stuff." Link went over to the chest where he kept the tools from his previous adventure when a thought occurred to him. "Hey, Doctor?"

"Hm?"

"You've never heard of a Dalek by any chance have you?"

The change in the Doctor's face was so sudden and so serious Link couldn't believe it was the same weird, spontaneous man he'd just been talking to.

"Where did you hear that name?" The Doctor asked, in such a quiet, serious voice that matched his face perfectly.

Link was starting to get nervous. "It was written on the floor of a ruin in the Sacred Groove." he said. "I saw it just after I killed some strange creature that killed a bunch of people and the writing said it was a Dalek."

"How do you know that message applied to you?" The Doctor asked.

"Because it said that the Dalek keeps yelling Exterminate and that is all it ever said when I fought it." Link said.

The Doctor took a moment to himself to think about what Link had just told him. He walked around in circles, muttering to himself. Link could make out a few of the words.

"...it's not possible..."

"...shouldn't be here..."

"...could it have come from..."

"...but that's even less possible..."

Finally he stopped his pacing and turned to Link. "You said you killed it?" he asked him.

"Yes."

"How?" the Doctor asked sternly. "Dalek's are unstoppable killing machines, almost literally, and since I have been here I've seen nothing more advanced than canons and arrows. I've seen single Daleks massacre entire armies. How do you manage to actually kill one by yourself?"

"The Master Sword." Link said, quickly bringing it out and unsheathing it. "It's called The Blade of Evil's Bane. It repels evil. It was the only thing that worked on the Dalek."

While Link as talking the Doctor snatched the sword from Link's hand and pulled out from his coat some kind of metal wand. It lit up at the top end and the Doctor waved it over the sword.

"What is that?" Link asked.

"Sonic screwdriver, sorry if you don't know what either of those words mean." The Doctor told him, still waving it over the sword. Finally he stopped and put it in front of his face, staring into the light. "Interesting."

"What is it?"

"This is just a regular sword." The Doctor said, tossing it back to Link. "It's made out of the same material as hundreds of other swords I've seen and its density is just slightly above average. You shouldn't have been able to kill a Dalek with this." The Doctor continued to stare at the screwdriver's light. "However... it does seem to have a very strange frequency coming off it. Like nothing I've ever seen before."

The Doctor put the screwdriver away and stood still for a second. Then said "You said that you fought the Dalek in a place called the Sacred Grove. Is it still there?"

"It should be." Link told him. "I'm supposed to meet Shad and the soldiers from Hyrule castle there so we can examine it. Maybe when we go there, you can tell them what you told me and they'll know you didn't kidnap Zelda and they can help us."

The Doctor finally smiled again, easing Link a little. "You're faith in people when they haven't particularly earned it is refreshing." he said to Link, obviously condescendingly. "But I don't think working with those particular soldiers is a good idea."

"Why not?" Link asked. "Do you think they had something to do with Zelda's disappearance?"

"What? Oh, no! Nothing like that!" The Doctor said. "They're just really thick and I wouldn't enjoy having them around me."

Link was not sure what to make of that statement.

"Anyway." The Doctor said. "You get your stuff together. I'll wait outside, maybe take a walk. And we'll leave when you're ready." And he back out of the door, closing it behind him.

_"What a weird guy."_ Link thought to himself.

Link put on the green Hero's clothes, knowing that whatever was going to happen next he was definitely going to need to be prepared. It was strange how comfortable the chain mail felt to him. He'd gotten so used to it before that it actually felt strange to not have it on after he'd returned to the village.

He went through the chest of his tools, trying to decide what he'd be able to bring that wouldn't slow him down. _"This was much easier when Midna could just store them all in my shadow with herself. Didn't need to worry about space back then."_ Link thought to himself. Then he realized something. _"If the Doctor manages to get us into the Twilight Realm, then that means I'll see Midna again."_ The thought of seeing her brought a smile to his face, albeit a brief one. _"But what if she doesn't want to see you?"_ crossed his mind. _"She destroyed the mirror so the two worlds would never be in danger of each other ever again. That's what the whole point of our journey together was. What she needed me for. We're basically going to be opening the portal back up if the Doctor is successful, going directly against everything she'd worked to accomplish. We're putting so many lives at risk if we do this."_

The thoughts bounced around in Link's head for a while, even as he left his home. He was so distracted by them that he, at first, didn't notice the Doctor was nowhere in sight.

_"Where'd he go?"_ thought Link. "_He doesn't know the way to the Mirror chamber so he couldn't have gone by himself."_

Just then he saw Ilia approaching his house. She then just saw that Link was there.

"Link! You're back!" she said, her face lighting up as she ran towards him. "We were so worried! What happened? Why did the soldier need to..." She stopped running towards him as soon as she noticed what he was wearing. She face stopped being so cheerful.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?" she asked him sadly.

Link walked up to her. "Yes. It's a mission. I've been assigned it by Princess Zelda." Link said, deciding the soldiers were right that her disappearance could cause a panic if anyone knew.

"What's the mission?" she asked.

"It's secret. I'm sorry but I was told not to tell anyone." Link said. He really didn't like lying to Ilia.

"Can't she get someone else to do it?!" Ilia asked him, seeming like she was fighting to hold back tears. "You only just got back to the village a little while ago and now you're being sent off to face Gods knows what kind of danger!"

"What makes you think there's going to be danger?" Link asked, trying to get her to calm down.

"Don't give me that!" She yelled at him. "The Princess wouldn't ask you, the person who saved all of Hyrule, to do something unless it was something her regular forces couldn't handle on their own."

Link hated seeing Ilia like this. She'd been his best friend since childhood and he hated that he was making her so worried about him. "Ilia, I'm sorry but this is something I have to do." Link said.

"Why?!" she asked him. "What's so important that you have to leave again?! Was saving all of Hyrule not enough for you that you need to do some more life risking heroics?! You can't just live the life of some farmer anymore after being such a big hero?!"

"Ilia, it's not like that." Link said.

"Then why?!" she yelled back to him.

Link looked to the ground. Zelda needed to be saved from whatever took her and the Doctor needed to be taken to the Mirror chamber so they could save her and go home. But while these were the only real reasons he had to go on this mission, there was one more thing that kept going through his mind. The only personal reason he had for why it was him that had to go.

Link looked at her. "Ilia, this has nothing to do with me needing to be heroic." Link told her honestly. "I have never been unhappy with life here. But there's something I have to do. There's...something I have to know. An answer to a question I have. And this mission is the key to that."

Ilia still glared at him with watery eyes, but Link could see in her face, she was slowly accepting that he had to leave.

"Just...be safe. Ok?" Ilia said to him.

Link smiled to her. "Ok." he assured her. "Besides, it's not like I'm going alone. There this guy who's coming with me and he seems to know a thing or two that will help."

Ilia looked around. "Where is he?"

Link scratched his head. "I don't know actually." he said. "He told me he'd wait outside while I was getting ready. I was actually about to go looking for him when-"

Just at that moment the Doctor ran out from between some trees and tumbled between the two of them.

"Oh, good! You're ready now." The Doctor said. "Glad to see that. We might want to leave immediately."

"Doctor, where were you? I thought you were waiting right outside." Link asked him.

The Doctor was moving around a bit frantically, although his smile seemed to be slightly gleeful. "Yes, well, like I said, I went for a walk. Which later became a run. Now I really think we should get going-"

"STOP THAT MAN!"

Link looked over and saw the knights at a distance running towards them. The Doctor, at the sound, ran over to Epona and jumped on her back, startling her slightly.

Link looked over to the Doctor. "You went to the Sacred Grove?!" he yelled at him.

"Well, I had to see the place for myself!" The Doctor yelled back.

"And?!"

"Definitely a Dalek, the message is indeed strange, and the place looks like it'd be great for picnics, now come on!"

Link, with a frustrated groan, leaped onto Epona. Grabbing her steers and yelling "Hiyah!", Epona started running off away from the direction of the knights.

"Sorry Ilia see you later!" Link yelled back to her. The sadness that had dominated her face a few minutes ago was now replaced by complete confusion over what the heck just happened.

After they got a good distance away from the village, Link let Epona slow down to a more comfortable speed for herself. Finally Link looked to the Doctor sitting behind him.

"Did I just become an outlaw because of you?" Link asked.

"Probably. Sorry about that." The Doctor said. "But I wouldn't worry about that too much, since we're off to save Zelda. Saving a country's princess is like getting a 'get out of treason free card'."

While Link didn't fully understand what that meant, he decided not to worry about that right now and just focus on their mission.

...That was until Link's stomach started to feel funny again.

"Doctor, what was that stuff you fed me?" Link asked.

"Fish fingers and custard." The Doctor responded with glee. "It's a personal favorite of mine from back home. I was feeling a bit nostalgic so I wanted to try making it again."

_"Fish fingers?"_ Link thought to himself. _"Wait..."_

Link turned quickly to him. "Did you feed me a Zora?!"

"What?! No, of course not! Why would I do that? They're very nice people." The Doctor responded, sounding slightly offended. "It fact it was one of them who helped me catch some of the fish I used. I think he called them Reekfish. It smelled awful and apparently tastes worse."

Link remembered that kind of fish. During his adventure he'd used his wolf senses to track down a Yeti who had a fondness for the stuff. He could still remember how bad it smelled, especially to his wolf nose. And then he remembered how bad it tasted...

Link quickly then commanded Epona to stop, leaped off her, and ran to the nearest bushes.

As Link hurled up in the bushes, The Doctor yelled to him "Oh, it wasn't that bad."

"Yes...it...was..." Link said between hurls.

And when he finally managed to stop, he returned to Epona and the two unlikely allies rode off (again), into the direction of the Gerudo desert.


	4. A road of feathers, sands, and canons

**Part 4: A road of feathers, sands, and canons**

Riding further and further along, the Doctor finally broke the silence by saying "It doesn't feel right riding a horse without my Stetson. I miss that thing."

"What's a Stetson?" Link asked.

"It's a special kind of hat worn by people on a western part of Earth. This adventure on horseback would have been perfect for it." The Doctor told him.

"So you left it back in your universe?"

"Actually my wife shot it off my head."

Link turned to look at him. "...Why?"

The Doctor crossed his arms. "Because unlike me, she has no idea what cool is."

Link accidentally let out a short.

"What's so funny?" the Doctor asked him.

Link tried to straighten his face. "Um, sorry, Doctor, it's just..." Link took a moment to think of something to say. "...it's hard to imagine someone like you...actually getting married. You just seem like the kind of person who wouldn't be able to settle down with someone."

The Doctor smiled a bit at this. "Well, you're right about me not being able to settle down. Settling can be very slow and boring, I'd go insane." he said. "But settling down has never really been a part of me getting married. In a 1200 years I've had way too many and they've all been rather hectic."

One thing the Doctor said caught his attention. "1200 years?" He asked. "You're 1200 years old?"

"At last count." The Doctor responded. "But it's been a while since then. I don't really keep track that often."

"But you look barely 5 years older than me!" Link said.

"Well this is one of my younger faces, according to humans anyway." The Doctor said.

"Younger faces...?" Link asked him puzzled.

"It's a Time Lord thing. You wouldn't get it." The Doctor responded, shrugging off Link's question. "Anyway, while I do enjoy having people marvel at me, I prefer it be for my cleverness, so let's switch the conversation to something that allows me to show that."

"Such as?"

The Doctor looked at him. "You're in love with that Midna person, aren't you?"

The color of Link's face became nearly exactly the same as the red potion he'd brought with them. "W-w-what makes you say that?" Link asked, trying to play it off coolly and completely failing at it.

The Doctor was actually having a hard time not laughing at his expression. "Whenever you referred to her before you had this funny bit of longing in your voice. Also, you jumped at the chance to go back to the Twilight Realm. Sure, one could assume it's just because you want to save the princess and help a stranger, and I don't doubt that is what you are willing to do, but your conversation with that very loud girl leads me to believe that you have a bonus reason for wanting to come."

Link did not think it was possible for his face to get any redder. "You heard that?"

"Yeah. She's got quite a range." The Doctor said. Seeing how embarrassed Link was getting, The Doctor patted him on the shoulder and said "Hey, relax, I'm just trying to make interesting conversation until we get there."

"And why did you choose this particular thing to talk about?!" Link asked him.

"Well, for one, it lets me show off how clever I am (Sherlock would be proud)." The Doctor said. "And…let's just say…I know what it's like to have time and space separating you from those you care about."

The Doctor then just sat there, lost deep in thought. The expression Link was seeing on his face was unreadable, like he was remembering so much and feeling everything that came with it. "Doctor? You ok?"

The Doctor snapped back to reality upon hearing Link's voice. "...Right, sorry about that." The Doctor said, shaking his head to refocus himself. "You're right, why did I bring that up? I don't like remembering, at least not when I could be doing other things. Are we there yet?"

Link, glad that they could finally change the topic, responded "Yeah, we're almost to Lake Hylia."

"I thought we were going to the Gerudo Desert?"

"The lake is the only way to get to the desert. It's pretty much cut off from the rest of Hyrule."

"Right, Zelda told me that the mirror was used as a prison." The Doctor commented. "I suppose when you make a prison, you want it as far away as you can from people. A theory that's taken even further when you remember the actual prison is another dimension."

...

Finally they arrived at the bridge that overlooked Lake Hylia. The Doctor got confused when Link got off Epona.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"The way to the desert is by going down to the lake and Epona can't make it down there." Link responded, leading Epona with her ropes.

The Doctor got off her. "We're actually going down into the lake?"

"Yep."

The Doctor went over to the edge and looked down. "So we're going to jump I take it?"

"Of course not." Link responded. "We're going to take Falbi's Flight-by-Fowl."

The Doctor looked at him for a minute. "...Flight by what?"

...Three minutes later...

"THIS IS THE BEST FEELING EVEEEERRRRR!" The Doctor yelled in excitement as he held on to the Cucco, gliding down majestically to the lake, Link following close behind. They guided for several minutes, The Doctor laughing the entire time, even when they finally touched down on one of the platforms at the bottom.

The Doctor let his Cucco go, which walked off surprisingly calm. "Oh...I have done a lot of things in my time, but that...that has definitely made it into my top ten!"

Link landed behind him. "Yeah. So you don't have birds like these where you come from?"

"Not that I've seen so far, but believe me when I say I'm going to look even harder for them now." The Doctor said. "So...now what?"

Link pointed to the building near them with the large canon sticking out of it. The Doctor looked to it, then back to Link, then back to the building, then back to Link.

"A canon?" he asked.

Link shrugged. "It's called Fyer's Human-cannonball Ride. It's really one of the only ways out of the lake, but he does special requests to send people elsewhere. This is the only way I've found that leads to the desert."

"By being shot out of a canon?" The Doctor asked him. He looked back over to the canon. "Well...you surprised me with the birds giving me a soft landing. I guess for now I'll trust you're right about me being able to travel by canon."

Link patted the Doctor on the back. "It's not as bad as it sounds."

"Considering how bad it sounds, that's not exactly hard." The Doctor said.

The two went up to Fyer and paid the rupee fare for the special request ("I can't believe how many of these things I just found lying in the grass." The Doctor said to Link once they got inside. "Seriously, how does your economy function?"). Fyer turned the lever to start the contraption. The building rose, the canon took aim, and fired the two at the desert.

The view was as breathtaking as it was fast as the two suddenly crashed down face-first into the large hills of sand (how no one ever breaks anything upon impact is still a mystery to this day).

The two just laid there in the sand for a minute to collect themselves.

"Link?" The Doctor said, his voice muffled by the sand.

"Yeah?" Link asked, his voice just as muffled.

"I think I love it here."

"That's nice."

When they were done, they got up and started walking through the desert towards the Mirror Chamber.

...

"Doctor?"

"Hm?"

"That Dalek thing comes from your universe, right?"

"Yep."

"How'd it get here?"

"I don't know." The Doctor said, his expression showing that he was thinking hard on it. "It certainly didn't come here through the portal that brought me. Clara and I'd have definitely noticed a Dalek being anywhere near us."

"So there might be more than one portal connecting your world to this one that it could have come through." Link theorized.

"There's a possibility of that but for whatever reason I'm doubting it." The Doctor said. "I don't know why, but I keep thinking that Dalek didn't get here directly from my universe. There's just something about it...something that makes it different from most other Daleks I've seen but I've definitely seen it before, I just can't put my finger on it!"

The Doctor seemed to be getting frustrated by it. _"It seems that when it comes to the Daleks, The Doctor doesn't like being at all in the dark. Not that I blame him, just given the one experience I had with one." _Link thought to himself. _"I can't imagine what living in a universe full of them is like."_

"Any ideas on what's causing the portals to appear at least?" Link asked. "I've only ever known them to transport to different locations, not entirely different universes."

"That part I'm at least more positive on." The Doctor said. "The Tardis is constantly monitoring its surroundings for safety. An anomaly like the portal is certainly going to attract its attention. Those recording will be able to tell us something at least."

The two walked on, barely avoiding the desert worms (which the Doctor kept referring to as "Graboids"), until they finally came to Arbiter's Grounds, the top floor of which housed the Mirror Chamber. Unfortunately, the door to the Grounds had a massive lock over it.

"Damn." Link said. "Zelda must have had this place locked down just in case someone wanted to find the mirror again. Doctor, look around for a key. Zelda's smart enough not to leave anything to chance but maybe-"

Just then the metal lock opened and hit the ground with a loud BANG!

Link looked over to the Doctor, who had been using his sonic screwdriver the entire time Link had been talking.

Link just stared at him for a minute. "Why didn't you tell me your magic wand thing could open locks?" Link asked.

"It's not magic, it's a sonic screwdriver!" The Doctor said defiantly. "And it does a lot of things, I don't keep track of them all."

Deciding it was best not to knock the most useful item he'd ever seen before, Link just said "The Chamber's at the top, so we'd better get moving."

The Doctor straightened his bow tie. "Lead the way." he responded and the two entered the grounds.

...

After about an hour of dodging traps, fighting skeletons and "Graboids", and working their way through the entire dungeon, they finally made it to the top.

"At least Stallord wasn't here this time." Link said, catching his breath.

"Who's Stallord?"

"Big fossil dragon monster."

"I'm not even surprised anymore."

Link led him to the Mirror Chamber. "Well, here we are. This is the spot where the mirror was."

The Doctor pulled out his Sonic screwdriver and began scanning the area. He lifted the light to his eye. "Oh yes, there is definitely a hole to another reality here." he said. "It fact it's quite bad how easy it will be to do this. They must have used the mirror quite a lot in order to get this kind of breach."

"They did." Link said. "So how are you going to get it open?"

The Doctor look at him. "Point and click."

"Point and click?" Link asked in confusion.

"Point and click." The Doctor said, pointing the screwdriver behind him and pressing one of the buttons.

The mirror portal suddenly ripped open, wind being powerfully sucked into it.

"It's a bit more violent than I remember it being last time!" Link yelled to the Doctor, trying to make himself heard over the wind.

"Yes, well, without the mirror it's quite a bit more unstable than last time!" The Doctor yelled back. "It won't be open for long, so we'd better hurry. Anything left undecided about going?"

"I wouldn't have enough time to say." Link said.

"Right. Only one thing that can be said during a time like this." The Doctor said.

"What?"

The Doctor smiled. "Geronimo!" and leaped into the portal. Link jumped in after him. Their bodies disintegrated into the dark particles and were shot through to the other side.


	5. Silver nightmare in the black and white

**Part 5: Silver nightmare in the black and white world**

They reassembled again on the other side of the portal. The two found themselves standing on a great mount of floating rock, with other floating land all around them, stretching for miles over the bottomless world, the dim orange sky illuminating it all. Though every time he'd been in the Twilight Realm before he had been fighting for his life, Link always had to admire the strange beauty of the place. Being here again felt like a dream, as he'd believed he'd never be able to return. Link broke his attention away from the beauty when he noticed the Doctor walking around jelly-legged, like he was having a hard time keeping his balance and kept falling over.

"Doctor, are you alright?" Link asked as he went over to him.

The Doctor fell to one-knee and tried to stand back up. "It's...it's impossible. It...it simply just shouldn't be possible." The Doctor said to himself.

Link grabbed the Doctor's arm to help get him to his feet. "What is it Doctor?"

The Doctor held on to Link's arm to keep himself balanced. "Link...remember what I told you about Time Lords being able to feel the motion of the universe around them?"

"Yeah."

The Doctor looked at Link. "I can't feel it."

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

"I mean...the universe here isn't moving. It's not moving forwards or backwards or zig-zagging or any sort of movement that a universe does, it is just...completely...still..." The Doctor said, pausing between his last few words, as if checking to see if something was going to change while he was talking. "This place has space, but not time."

Holding the Doctor up, Link asked "But, we're moving. We're talking. I can tell that we came through the portal a minute ago. How can we do that without time?"

"We can't." The Doctor said. "We shouldn't be able to do anything. This place shouldn't be able to exist because time and space are one and the same. You maybe could get a similar result when time is frozen, but that still has a feel of time to it. But here...time just isn't!"

"But then how are we moving?" Link asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor said, strangely looking a bit better than before. "Time isn't a part of this dimension, but you are definitely a second older than you were a second ago. So am I (boy I feel old). But that sky isn't. Those rocks aren't. They're staying exactly the same. You said that there are people who live here?"

"Yes, they're called the Twili and I saw them last time I was here. They're the descendants of those who were originally banished here from the Light world ages ago. There were both children and adults. How can there exist kids in a place where time doesn't even exist, let alone move forward?"

"They shouldn't. It's not possible." The Doctor said. "Time doesn't exist for the dimension but it exists for the life forms that somehow live within it. They can go old, die, have kids, etc. All in a place where it can't happen!"

The Doctor, finally able to gain some balance, let go of Link's arm and ran forward a bit, spinning around, as if trying to see and take everything in, while wearing the happiest smile Link had seen on him yet.

"It's just simply impossible! OHHH, I LOVE IT!" the Doctor yelled out, feeling incredibly happy.

Link walked forward to him slightly confused. "Wait, you said you're called a Time Lord, a name that implies you're fond of time, so why are you so happy that there isn't any?" Link asked.

"Simple." The Doctor said to him, still beaming with delight. "There is one thing I am before almost anything else and that is a traveler. I travel across all of time and space just to see all of the uniqueness that it has to offer and this...THIS is definitely one of them. A dimension that can't possibly exist, housing within it creature's that shouldn't possibly be able to live there, and two passing travelers that shouldn't possibly have been able to even get to this place, let alone interact with it! This is stuff that I skip Tuesdays for!"

"Feeling better now I take it?" Link asked, the Doctor's positivity infectious.

"Oh, yeah, just not used to having this much balance. Had to take a moment to adapt." The Doctor said, stretching his legs. "Now, we'd best find that Princess."

"Yeah. Now, I think we should go into the palace and ask Midna for help." Link said. "Zelda is her friend too and if there's anyone who'd be able to show us the way here, it's Mid..."

Link stopped talking and stood there dumbfounded, as he came to a horrifying realization.

"Link? Link, what's the matter?" The Doctor asked.

"It's gone."

"What?"

Link turned to the Doctor. "The palace is gone!" He said, pointing over to the area where it once stood, all of which was now just empty space.

The Doctor ran over to the area. "Gone?! What do you mean it's gone?!"

Link caught up with him. "I mean, the portal leads directly to the front of the palace and its adjourning buildings and now they're not here!"

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning the area. When he finished he looked over the data. "I'm not detecting any traces of explosives or teleportation frequencies in the area and it's not detecting that there have been any tremors, so it likely didn't just fall over one of the edges. It's just gone, like there was nothing here to begin with."

Link was incredibly worried. "_How could an entire palace and everything in it just be gone without a trace of what happened to it? And what about Midna?" _Link thought.

Link turned to the Doctor. "Could one of those portals have opened up here?" he asked.

The Doctor stroked his chin. "It's possible but my sonic isn't detecting anything." he said. "If there had been one, then that means it's completely closed. I wouldn't be able to reopen it."

Link paced around. "You and your friend getting pulled from your universe, Zelda being abducted, and now the capital of the Twilight Realm just being gone. This can't be a coincidence. They all are connected somehow."

"Agreed. Thankfully I have some idea of what to do next." The Doctor said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, though smaller than what Link was used to.

"What's that for?" Link asked.

"It's a Tardis key." The Doctor said. "It's the only thing that unlocks the Tardis' doors, but it has the bonus feature of also being able to be used to track it. Once we find it, the records might be able to show us what happened to the palace." The Doctor started pointing the key in several directions until finally, it started to glow. "Aha! Come on Link! This way!"

...

The two ran on, following the Tardis' signal, until they finally came across the charred remains of an old home. The place looked like it had been hit by a massive bomb, as there was little that wasn't blackened with ash or broken apart. Upon further inspection they saw that the home was a part of a small town, each of the homes sharing similar fates to the first.

"Was it like this when you came here last time?" The Doctor asked.

"No." Link responded, looking at the buildings with sadness. "I mean, I only really explored the palace, but the way Midna was always talking about this place, there's no way this is normal. Something must have happened here. But what would do something like this?"

"It's a shame that I know many answers to that question." The Doctor said. "But I doubt most of them apply here."

Link asked the Doctor if they could explore the ruins of the village for a bit before trying to find the Tardis again, as maybe they could find out what happened. Understanding his concern, the Doctor agreed.

As the two walked along, exploring the village, Link thought he heard a noise.

"Doctor, can you hear that?" Link asked, putting his arm in front of the Doctor to stop him.

"Hear what?" he asked, trying to focus his ears.

"Listen."

The noise was constant, but faint, though it also sounded like it was slightly off in the distance. It sounded metallic, like metal hitting stone repeatedly in rhythm. They were beginning to hear it much clearer, meaning it was getting closer.

"It sounds like...marching?" The Doctor said.

The two ran to the source of where the sound seemed to originate from. Close to the source they saw something run past one of the buildings. Following it, the two saw it was a Twili woman, with a child in her arms running as fast as she could away from wherever she'd come from. She had not seen them and before Link and the Doctor could come out from behind the building a beam of light struck the woman's leg, causing her to fall over painfully. The child, a girl who couldn't be over 4 in Hylian years, fell out of the woman's arms and started crying, begging her mother to get up and the mother in turn begging her child to run.

The source of the metallic noise finally came into view as the three things creating it marched towards the child and her mother. Link had never seen something quite like them. They stood the height of a full grown Hylian male and were completely incased in metal. They had handles sticking out of both sides of their heads and had an emblem of some kind that Link didn't recognize sticking out of their chests.

But the Doctor certainly recognized them.

"Cybermen." he said, shock in his voice.

"You know these things?" Link asked.

The Doctor ignored his question and said "Link, we have to get over there right now. We can't let the Cybermen get them!"

When the three Cybermen reached the sobbing child and the bleeding woman, one of them said in a completely hollow, monotone voice "Scans indicate the adult female meets requirements for conversion. She shall be upgraded."

The second Cyberman said in the exact same voice "Scans indicate the child does not meet the requirements for conversion."

And the third Cyberman said "The child shall be deleted."

It raised its arm up to the child, its wrist-mounted blaster taking aim. The girl let out a shriek of terror. The Cyberman prepared to fire when-

"Hello there!"

The three Cybermen turned to the side in surprise, where they saw the Doctor standing next to them with a big smile on his face.

"Lovely day for a distraction, isn't it?" he asked.

The Cybermen just stared at him in confusion. "Wha-" the third one began to ask when Link came up from behind and jabbed his sword through its throat. Then with the sweeping motion of his sword, cut off its head. The other two turned in surprise, leaving the Doctor free to use his sonic screwdriver on the back of the head of one of them. The Cyberman shook uncontrollably and sparks flew from it as wires fused and its circuits fried, until finally, the entire thing shut down.

"The Doctor." said the final Cyberman as it took aim. But before it could fire Link jabbed his sword into the joint of the Cyberman's elbow, causing it to lose control of its weapon. The Doctor used the sonic screwdriver on the final Cyberman, and it met a fate exactly like that of the previous Cyberman.

With the three Cybermen defeated, the Doctor and Link went over to help the mother and child. The girl was of course wary of the strangers and scared of what they might do. But Link knelt down to her and said "It's ok. You're safe now. They can't hurt you anymore. And my friend here is a doctor, so he'll be able help your mom."

The child sniffed and grabbed onto Link, crying and hugging him as hard as she could. Link hugged the child back, trying to comfort her and make her feel safe.

The Doctor smiled at both of them. "Well, I'm not a doctor in the way that you're thinking of, but I have picked up a thing or two from old Joseph and such. Link, you have any bandages in those deep pockets of your's?"

"Yeah, here you go." Link said, reaching into his bag and tossing the roll of bandages to the Doctor. The Doctor went over to the mother and started trying to fix up her leg. She looked at him and said "You two are from the Light world."

"Yep." The Doctor said, wrapping her leg.

The woman started crying a little. "Thank the Gods for sending you."

The Doctor smiled to her. "If I see them while I'm here, I'll pass that message on for you." As the Doctor finished patching up her leg he said "Link, be social with these two for a moment. I need to check something out." And he got up and went over to the pile of the dismembered Cybermen.

Link went over to the woman to help her sit up. The child then left Link and the mother and daughter hugged each other as hard as they could.

"May I ask who you are?" Link said.

"My name is Alia and this is my daughter, Zue." The mother said.

"What happened to this village?" Link asked her.

Alia looked sadly to the ground. "It happened a few days ago." she explained. "Hundreds of those metal creatures attacked the village out of nowhere. We tried to defend ourselves but their weapons were like nothing we'd ever faced before." Tears started to well up in her eyes again. "My husband was killed by those things. The only reason we survived this long was because he built a hidden basement to hide in during Zant's invasion. Those things found us when we were out searching to find any survivors."

Link thought for a moment. "The Doctor and I searched the village when we got here. We saw plenty of wreckage but no bodies." he said.

"They took them." Alia said. "I don't know why. They took many of our living prisoner, but they took the dead with them as well."

_"That is very strange."_ Thought Link. He turned to look over at the Doctor and yelled "Doctor, you know these things right? Do you know why they'd take the dead with them?"

"Unfortunately." he said, fumbling around with the head of the Cyberman Link decapitated. He walked over to them, still fiddling with it. "Cybermen are living beings that have had their emotions and identities stripped away from them and their flesh, save for the brain, completely replaced with cybernetics. The uh...shiny bits." The Doctor added, seeing the lack of understanding to the word 'cybernetics'. "Cybermen have a single goal: convert all humanity, and if possible anything similar to it, into Cybermen. Whatever they can't convert gets used for spare parts."

"So the people they took prisoner..."

"...Are likely going to be converted into Cybermen, if they haven't been already." The Doctor finished saying for him.

Link looked over at the pile of dismembered Cybermen. _"Could any of those have been Twili before?"_ Link thought to himself. The thought of having killed someone who was being forced to act with no will of their own. Link suddenly felt very sick.

The Doctor took notice of this. "Link." he said, shaking Link's shoulder to get his attention. "Physically, maybe it could be considered living, but when it was converted, everything that made that person what it once was had been taken away. Whatever they once were was destroyed by the Cybermen. What we destroyed was just nerves and metal. Not living."

Link, appreciating the Doctor's words, let himself calm down a little.

"Put on a strong face." The Doctor whispered to him. "Even if just for the kid."

Link looked to Zue and saw that she'd been watching him the whole time. Not wanting her to feel scared by his worry, he quickly straightened his expression. He looked over to Alia. "Do you know where Princess Midna is?"

Alia shook her head. "No. No one knows where she is. She vanished the same day as when the palace disappeared. It happened the day before the Cybermen attacked us."

"Did anyone see how it disappeared?"

"A few traveling merchants who came to town said it just disassembled and vanished."

_"That definitely sounds like a Twilight portal. But if it was, then where did it send the palace to? I'd definitely have heard something about the Twilight palace popping up in the Light world."_ Link looked over to the Doctor. "Do you think the Cybermen could be behind it?" he asked him.

"I don't know and it's about time we got some answers." he said, putting the Cyberman head on a mound of rubble. "Can you hear and understand me?" he asked the head.

The head said "Yes." and Zue screamed.

"Oh, no, no, it's ok!" The Doctor said to Zue, trying to get her to calm down. "I just rewired the head a bit so it can give us some answers. It's harmless, see?" The Doctor tapped his knuckles on the head. "In fact, here...take this rock and throw it at the head. It can't hurt you."  
Zue grabbed the rock and chucked it as hard as she could at the head, knocking it clean off the mound with a very loud bang.

"Now that's a good arm!" The Doctor said to her and Zue and her mother laughed for the first time in days.

The Doctor went and picked up the head and placed it back on the mound. "Alright, Cyberman, question one: what are your origins?"

The head answered in its monotone voice "Cyberman program created by Cybus Industries and John Lumic."

Link was confused by the question. "Origins?" he asked the Doctor.

"There are two types of Cybermen. I wanted to know which one I was dealing with. Question two: Where did you come from before you got here and how did you get here?"

The head answered "The Cybermen fleet was trapped in the Void. We were brought to this dimension by a portal of unknown origin."

"And what about the Daleks who were there with you?" The Doctor asked, the tone in his voice showing that he was not surprised by the head's answer.

"They came through into this dimension as well."

"How many?"

"All of them."

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed the head's answer. Though Alia and Zue didn't know what a Dalek was, they could tell by the looks on Link's and the Doctor's faces that it wasn't anything good.

Link had to say something to break the silence. "Doctor, what is the Void?"

The Doctor was busy pacing around and thinking very hard, but still answered his question. "The Void is the space between dimensions. No time or space exists there because nothing exist there, it's the most literal definition of empty there ever could be and the perfect Hell for monsters like the Daleks and Cybermen. And for some reason, a portal somehow opened up in that emptiness to bring them back!"

"So, how many Daleks does 'All' mean?" Link asked, fearful of the answer.

"Millions." he answered. "Not to mention possibly roughly about the same number of Cybermen too."

The Doctor turned back to the head. "I find it hard to believe that the Daleks didn't just exterminate every last one of you as soon as you stepped into this dimension. How are there any Cybermen that haven't been destroyed?"

"Both forces were to shaken by the effects of the Void. Battle was not optional for survival. Some Daleks did attack but their shields were not yet restored. Our forces managed to destroy those individuals."

"Yes, there are some Daleks who'd forsake their own lives just for a chance to destroy an 'inferior' race." The Doctor said, almost smiling at the thought of Daleks being destroyed. "And that how you've been able to do the conversions isn't it? You've scavenged off Dalek tech and any metal you could find and used it to turn the Twili you've captured into more soldiers you can use to try and fight off your impending Dalek demise."

"Correct. The Cybermen will destroy the Daleks when they come for us."  
Link jumped into the conversation. "How many people have you converted? How many people have you captured?"

"14 successful Cyber-conversions. 34 failed conversions. 345 in holding remain to be converted."

"We're not going to let that happen!" Link yelled at the head.

"Prisoners held in main base: Cyberbase 1. Main base is impenetrable. You will not enter. You will not stop the Cyber-conversions." the head said.

Before Link could lose his temper and hit the thing, the Doctor asked "Have the Cybermen found a blue police box in this dimension?"

"Yes." The head answered. "It was brought to main Cybermen base for examination. Strange energy levels were detected and we could not enter or destroy the box."

"And you're not going to either." The Doctor said. "Two more questions. One: What does the name 'The Doctor' mean to the Cybermen?"

"The Doctor: on home Earth, individual known as the Doctor responsible for the destruction of Cybus Industries. On parallel Earth, individual known as the Doctor responsible for sending Cybermen units and Dalek units into the Void. Dalek's refer to the Doctor as their greatest enemy."

"And question two..." The Doctor said dramatically. "What is the Doctor's threat level to the Cybermen's existence?"

"Maximum."

"Yes I am." The Doctor said, pulling out his screwdriver.

The Cyberman's head, accessing its database on the sonic screwdriver, realized that only one known being had that tool. "The Doctor is detec-" the head started to say before the screwdriver shut it down.

The Doctor turned to Link. "Alright, so, it's going to be the two of us vs. a base that contains several armies worth of Cybermen, who not only have over 300 prisoners that they want to turn into soldiers, but my Tardis as well, and to top it off there is likely armies worth of Daleks out there hunting down the Cybermen who will destroy said base if they find it. Did I miss anything?"

"No, I'd say that sums it up pretty well." Link said.

Alia, managing to get up, said "Wait, you two are going to fight these things?"

"Well someone has to save those people." Link said to her.

"And the Cybermen don't belong here anyway so might as well take care of that problem now." The Doctor said.

"But..." Alia began. "But look what they did to the village and there are probably hundreds more if what you said is true! How can the two of you possibly fight something like that?"

"Well we don't necessarily have to fight them, we just have to free the prisoners while simultaneously insuring that the Cybermen won't be a threat to the people of this dimension anymore." The Doctor told her.

"How?" she asked.

The Doctor and Link looked at each other. "We'll think of something clever?" said Link, predicting the Doctor's answer.

"See, he gets it." The Doctor said, gesturing to Link.

Before Alia could protest more, Zue tugged on her. "Don't worry, mommy. The beast will save them." she said.

"What?" Alia asked.

"The blue-eyed beast, from those old stories you used to tell me. The wolf that saves the Twili people when they need it most. That's him." Zue said, pointing at Link.

"Zue, it's just an old legend." Alia said to her.

"But the princess said that's who saved us all from Zant." Zue argued.

Link, scratching his head in embarrassment, said "Doctor, we should get a move on. We don't want to waste any time getting there."

"Right. Now, you two, go back to where you were hiding. You'll be safest there." The Doctor said. "With any luck, you'll have your neighbors back in no time and they won't be made of metal."

Thanking the two again for saving them, Alia and Zua waved them off as they set off towards the location of the Tardis: the Cybermen main base. As they went off they heard Zue yelling "Bye beast! See you later!"

Link couldn't help but smile and the Doctor asked "So, what's this about a blue-eyed beast?"

"It's this legend they have that I fit with because I changed to a wolf several times during my last adventure." Link told him.

"I love stories that start like that."


	6. Assault on Cyberbase 1

**Part 6: Assault on Cyberbase 1**

They followed the Tardis signal for miles until they finally came across the base. Like a massive thorn that breached old flesh, the metal fortress rose out of the ruins of a demolished Twili village. Many lights, sparks, and sounds came from the fortress as though it was warning anyone foolish enough to go near that it'd be the last thing they ever did. As themselves anyway.

"How could they build something like that?" Link asked as they hid behind some rocks. "The way you described them they were lost, having barely survived the void, and trying to rebuild. Where'd they get the materials for something like that?"

"Because they're scavengers who survive by any means necessary." The Doctor told him. "Any metals the Twili had. Any technology they managed to steal from the Daleks. I imagine they probably took apart a few of themselves in order to build that thing."

"But I thought their goal was to survive." Link said. "Wouldn't killing their own kind be working against that?"

"Sacrifice a few so they can gain many. That's the Cybermen's way of thnking." The Doctor said. "Now then, you ready for your part in my plan?"

"No, because I don't understand a lot of it." Link said.

"Will you still at least do it? My plans are a lot more clever when they actually happen." The Doctor asked.

"You got us this far. Might as well." Link responded.

"That's the spirit." The Doctor said as he ran towards the base.

…

The Doctor got as close as 3 yards from the base when 2 Cybermen standing guard fired a warning shot at the ground directly in front of him. He stopped and waited for the Cybermen to come over to him.

"Scan indicate you are not native to this dimension, nor are you human. You will be taken in for dissection." One of the Cybermen told him.

"Ah, well, yes. You could do that. But first…take me to your leader!" The Doctor said. "I love saying that."

"Why would we take you to Cyberleader?" the other Cyberman asked.

"Well, I just assumed I was of some great importance to you lot, given that you created an emergency beacon to signal home in case I was found." The Doctor said casually.

Realizing what he was getting at, the two Cybermen activated their own beacons. "The Doctor is detected." They both said, sending the signal out.

"Detect NOTHING! You didn't detect me, I walked, well, ran, right up to you!" The Doctor scolded them.

5 more Cybermen arrived and restrained the Doctor. "You will be taken to Cyberleader for judgment." They said.

"A special invitation to grace your leader with my presence? I knew I was popular around here." The Doctor said gleefully.

Holding him by his arms, the Cybermen walked the Doctor into the base and the 2 others returned to their guard duty, none having noticed the boy in green who had snuck past them.

…

Deeper and deeper they took him into the metal base. The Doctor looked around carefully to spot any of the Twili or the conversion rooms, but no luck. Finally they arrived in the main control room where the Cybermen presented the Doctor before a different model of Cyberman wired to a large metal chair. The Cyberleader.

"Binary-vascular system and sonic weapon indicate that you are indeed the Doctor." The Cyberleader said, sounding not very different from any other Cyberman.

"The one and only." The Doctor said. "Sometimes. I have those odd days where I meet other me's, who are still technically me, but just not me yet or they already were me. And then there's the Donna-Doctor, and that's when things start getting really complicated-"

"Silence." The Cyberleader interrupted him. "Your presence here is because you have knowledge that we require."

"As do you." The Doctor responded. "Like where are the prisoners and where's my Tardis?"

"The Tardis is in our possession. You will show us how to access it." The Cyberleader said.

"No. And still haven't answered my other question. Where are the prisoners you haven't converted yet?"

The Cyberleader turned on one of the monitors to show a crowded room jam-packed full of Twili people. Though even with the crowd the Doctor counted them all.

"There are less than 345 in there." The Doctor said.

"345 was the number 78 minutes ago. 5 more successful conversions were made, but 24 failed." The Cyberleader said. "This is why we require your machine. Scans show it has crossed dimensions before. The Cybermen shall adapt its technology and use it to return to alternate Earth. Too many of this dimension's inhabitants are incompatible. For the Cybermen to prosper, humans are required."

"So that's it then." The Doctor said, glaring at the Cyberleader. "You expect me to just let you into my little blue box so you can use it to go back to where no one wants you? I guarantee you won't be stepping another foot into another dimension ever again! In fact, you won't be stepping foot around this dimension ever again either!"

The Cyberleader made no physical reaction to his words. "Your words are illogical. We have millions of Cybermen in this base alone and you are one man. You cannot win. The information we require shall be extracted by force."

"You might want to save some of that force actually. You're going to need it." The Doctor said.

The Cybermen holding the Doctor turned to take him to where he'd get him brain removed and scanned, but before they started walking, a room started shaking violently and very loud booms could be heard from up top. It became so much that the Cybermen holding the Doctor had to let go to prevent themselves from falling over.

When some of the shaking subsided, the Cyberleader started asking "Report. Report."

A Cyberman outside the base radioed in to respond. "The Dalek's are attacking the base."

"Impossible." The Cyberleader said, actually sounding slightly panicked. "The base and the Cybermen are cloaked to Dalek radar. They cannot have detected us."

"Unless someone found a way to lead the Daleks somewhere that just happened to have you all right next to it." The Doctor said, straightening his bow tie. "No need for radar when you can just use your eyes."

After another round of the room shaking the Cyberleader managed to ask "How could you have contacted the Daleks?"

"Technically, it was you lot who contacted them." The Doctor responded. "You see, me and me mate were just taking a stroll through a little village when we first discovered you lot. Got a nice little souvenir out of it too. The head of one of those Cybermen. Figured it'd be a bit grim if I brought it in here with me, so I just left it right outside your base. Though I tinkered with it a bit on the way over here, I do that sometimes, and I made a few improvements to it."

The room shook some more and the Doctor continued talking. "I saw that it could only broadcast on Cybermen frequencies, so I upgraded it to the point where it could broadcast on all frequencies simultaneously if it wanted to. In fact, it's doing it right now. Care for a listen?"

The Doctor held up his Sonic screwdriver and activated it, causing all the speakers in the room to tune into what the head was broadcasting.

"The Doctor is detected."

"The Doctor is detected."

"The Doctor is detected."

"Yeah, it's on a loop of a message it was trying to send you earlier. Being on all these frequencies practically guarantees you'll hear it somewhere." The Doctor said. "Course I suppose that also means it's on Dalek frequencies as well. You think you lot get excited when I arrive? Just listen to that party they're throwing upstairs!"

More rumbles from the Dalek's explosions occurred. "This plan is illogical." The Cyberleader said. "You wish to save the prisoners but the Dalek's shall leave no survivors."

"Unless I get them out of here before the Daleks reach them." The Doctor said with a mocking smile. Wind suddenly started to be pushed away from all sides of the Doctor and a familiar whooshing sound began to fill the room as the big blue box started to appear around him.

"Well fellas, it's been fun. But it looks like my ride's here."

**5 minutes earlier**

_"I am really getting sick of these things."_ Link thought to himself as he sliced through another Cyberman. With a majority of the base's attention on the Doctor in case he tried something, it was mainly just a skeleton crew of Cybermen that Link was encountering throughout the base. Though a skeleton crew from a base of millions of Cybermen was still a lot.

Delivering the final blow, Link tried very hard not to think about that the Cybermen were once living being who had been forced to become like this. _"I've fought a lot of monsters before and I've even killed quite a few, but at least they attacked me of their own free will."_

Shaking his head roughly to make himself stop thinking about it, Link pulled the Tardis key the Doctor gave him back out of his bag and continued to follow the signal. Finally he came across a room with 3 Cybermen standing guard over a tall blue wooden box with doors and writing on it that Link couldn't read.

_"That's probably it."_ Link thought to himself and readied his bow. He came out from behind the corner and shot an arrow into the neck of one of the Cybermen. The Cyberman was completely unfazed by the attack, even with the arrow sticking out of its neck.

The Cybermen turned to face Link and raised their wrist lasers at him. "Intruder a-"

BOOM! Went the arrow stuck in the Cyberman's neck, taking its head right off. Link took the momentary distraction of the other two Cybermen to attack, hitting them in their weak points of the neck and joints to take them down. After a few minutes, it was just him and the blue box.

Link sheathed him sword and stuck the Tardis key into the door's lock (admittedly not used to locks so small). He turned the key and wondered what could be inside it that could possibly help them. He opened the door and walked inside the Tardis.

…And almost feel over from disbelief over what he was seeing. The Tardis was much, much bigger on the inside, with completely alien design, so different from anything Link had ever seen before, and a large column right in the middle of it, with many levers, knobs, and buttons. Link just stood there dumbfounded until he was startled back to his senses by the Doctor appearing behind him, though he seemed much less expressive that usual.

"Intruder alert. Identify." The Doctor said in monotone voice.

"Doctor, how'd you get here first? That wasn't the plan." Link asked.

"Invalid response. Repeat. Identify." The Doctor said again.

"Doctor, it's me, Link."

"Invalid response. Tardis intruder breach. Activating emergency protocols in 10 seconds." The Doctor said, lights now coming from the Tardis which started shaking.

_"I don't think this is the Doctor."_ Link thought.

"9 seconds." The not-Doctor started counting down.

_"I don't think this is supposed to be happening."_

"8 seconds."

_"Wait, the Doctor told me to say something when I got in here."_

"7 seconds."

_"What was it?!"_

"6 seconds."

_ "Oh, wait…now I remember…"_

"5 seconds."

_ "I thought he was joking when he said that!"_

"4 seconds."

_"Boy I hope this works."_

"3 seconds."

"Come and get me, sexy!" Link yelled out.

The not-Doctor vanished and the rumbling stopped. Link breathed a sigh of relief. Then out of the corner of his eye saw one of the levers lower itself and the rumbling started again, only bigger this time, forcing Link to hold out one of the railings. The pendulum in the columns center started bobbing up and down and a loud whooshing sound started up.

After a few seconds Link could see the Doctor fading into the Tardis.

"Well fellas, it's been fun. But it looks like my ride's here." The Doctor said to someone Link couldn't see. When he finally fully materialized he turned to Link and asked "So…how were things on your end?"

"Could have been worse." Link said.

"Glad to hear it. You had a chance to talk with Clara yet? CLARA!" The Doctor called out. No answer. "Clara?" The Doctor repeated, with the same silence following again.

Link saw the quiet worry on his face. "Do you think the Cybermen-"

"No." The Doctor cut him off. "They couldn't get in, that's what they needed me for. And they haven't converted any humans since they've been here, which means she didn't leave and get captured. She's just somehow not right here now."

Link tried to console him. "Doctor, this mission was to find the Tardis, Zelda, AND your friend. It's not over yet."

The Doctor, knowing Link spoke the truth, snapped back up. "Right then."

"You ok?"

"I am."

"The Daleks attacking?"

"They are."

"Know where the prisoners are?"

"I do."

The Doctor walked over to the controls and started turning and pulling so many things that it almost looked like he had no idea what he was doing. Then he started talking to the Tardis. "Oh, old girl, I missed you. You keep on going even when there's literally no time to spare."

After a final flip of the switch the rumbling and whooshing began again. When it stopped the Doctor went over to the doors and opened them up, revealing the room of the Twili prisoners who were just as surprised to see the Tardis as Link was to see them.

"Did we just…move?" Link asked.

"Yep, but no time to marvel at it right now, though feel free to do as much of that as you like later, we gotta move!" The Doctor said as he exited the Tardis and started gesturing to the Twili. "Come on everyone, into the box! Plenty of room for everyone! Get into the pool, library, spare bedrooms, hallways, anywhere! Just don't open any drawers or boxes because I don't remember what I put in them!"

Link worked with the Doctor to help get people in. The Tardis blocked off the door into the room so that the Cybermen couldn't get in to interfere.

After they managed to fit over 300 people into a box and still have elbow room, Link and the Doctor got back into the Tardis and manned the controls.

"Alright everyone, I'm going to need you all to remain calm." The Doctor instructed all of them over a radio. "Because this next part is the part where people tend to have a lot of fun or none at all. Either way, it gets quite exciting!" And he pulled one of the levers.

The rumbling, bobbing, and whooshing started again, which of course freaked out most to all of the Twili. The commotion drowned out the sounds of the Dalek's attack on the Cyberbase until it could no longer be heard, though the rumbling and shaking of the Tardis got worse and worse.

"Come on, Old girl, you got this!"

Another moment of the shaking followed by a hard stop and stillness.

The Doctor got up and opened the doors, revealing the village he and Link had been to earlier. Saving his amazement for another time, Link directed the Twili off the Tardis. All started pouring out, many put at ease by the familiar setting. They were soon greeted by Alia and Zue, whom had only come out due to hearing the voices of Link and the Doctor. They helped the rescued Twili with food and water. Though the rescued were all from different villages from throughout the land, all were united with joy to be free from the silver nightmare. Though unfortunately there were many united in that they could not say the same for their loved ones that had been lost before they had been saved.

After a few hours of helping the rescued get situated and sheltered for the time being, Link went back into the Tardis where the Doctor was staring at a screen.

"How're they doing?" he asked Link, not looking away from the monitor.

"Better." Link answered. "They're all still pretty shaken up by what happened, but they're very glad to have escaped the Cybermen. I told them they should probably hide soon in case any Daleks start coming around though." _"Especially if any Daleks start coming around."_

"Yeah. They should be pretty much finished with the Cybermen by now."

"Speaking of the Daleks, any idea how we're going to get rid of them? Once they're gone these people can return to their homes."

"None yet, but remember, some of the best plans have been improvised." The Doctor told him. "Though many more, much more successful plans were, well, planned in advance so it'd be nice to think of something right now."

Link couldn't help but notice most of the Doctor's attention was focused on the screen. "Doctor, are these the records the Tardis made of the portals?"

"Yep."

"Anything noteworthy?"

"Yes, the portals are coming from here."

"Just like we figured."

"They are also not coming from here."

"…What?"

"The portals sort of start here…but also are starting somewhere else that is not this dimension." The Doctor explained, rubbing his eyes. "Dimension portals don't work like that. One universe breaks through into another. That's where it starts. The portal you and I used: it started in your world because the mirror broke through into this universe. It was there and ended here! But the portal that brought the Tardis here ended at my universe but started at a place that is both here and not here at the same time!"

The Doctor sat there stewing about the situation when a thought occurred to Link. "Doctor, if the portal connects your universe to this one, how did you end up in my universe?" he asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor said, again rubbing his eyes out of frustration. "None of what has happened makes any sense."

"Unless…" The Doctor said, bringing his head back up. The Doctor went back to the screen and started hitting and turning every button and lever near it. One the screen were so many new symbols and images Link couldn't recognize.

"It's an intersection!" The Doctor cried out happily.

"An intersection?" Link asked.

The Doctor put his arm around Link's shoulder and started pointing at images on the screen as though they'd mean anything to Link.

"Zelda told me about how your world and this one were colliding together before and parts combined before they were split apart." The Doctor said. "Some of the two universes are still combined! That's why the portal's reading as here and not here! Because it starts from a place that is both part of this dimension and part of yours! But the portal is unstable because the intersection is unstable. That's why I ended up in your dimension. I slipped through the small gap of the portal that was solely your world! And that's how the Tardis ended up here instead of at the intersection, because it fell through the small gap in the portal that was solely this world! Oh, I'm back, baby!"

Quantum inter-dimensional physics not exactly being his thing, Link comprehended the Doctor's exposition as well as he could. "So, that means that your friend…"

"She didn't end up in Hyrule with me and she wasn't with the Tardis here. Assuming that she didn't just fall into the void…she's going to be at the intersection. Likely along with Zelda since it seems like she didn't end up here."

Then Link realized. "The Twilight Palace! It was taken from here by one of those portals but it didn't go to my world! Which means…"

"That it likely was taken to the intersection as well!" The Doctor finished for him. He and Link shared the same expression of absolute excitement. The Doctor ran back to the controls. "We have a destination! Give me a few moments work out timey-wimey aspects of the portal recordings and we'll be able to get there!"

As the Doctor messed with the controls, Link couldn't stop smiling. They finally knew where Zelda was and would finally be able to bring her back. And what Alia had told him, that Midna had disappeared when the palace did. If the palace was at the intersection, then Midna might be too.

But the happiness was cut short, as suddenly all the lights in the Tardis dimmed.

"Doctor, wha-"

The Tardis suddenly started shaking so violently that Link and the Doctor were actually hurled through the air, slamming hard into the walls. The shaking was very different from the kind they felt when the Tardis moved before.

"Doctor, what's happening?!" Link yelled to him.

The Doctor did his best to look at the screen. "One of the portals just opened up and it's trying to pull the Tardis in! And the Tardis is resisting!"

"Why?!"

"The portals are too unstable! The Tardis isn't meant to travel with a method like this, it could rip it apart!"

But all the Tardis's resistance did not prevent the end result, as it, Link, and the Doctor broke apart into the dark particles and were shot skyward into the portal.


	7. Brand new old enemy

**Part 7: Brand new old enemy**

Link woke up on the floor with a really bad headache. He must have hit his head when they landed and gotten knocked out. As he started to get back up, clutching his aching head, he looked around. He was still in the Tardis. Though his vison was blurry he could still make out the center control column and some of the railings. But something was different. And it wasn't until Link's vison properly aligned that he realized what it was.

It was the floor. What was once some strange metal was now a strange dark marble with large symbols carved throughout. The walls also were partly made of the marble, but other areas were how the Tardis would normally be. Link recognized where he'd seen the marble patterns before.

_"The Twilight Palace."_

Link finally saw what had woken him up as the Doctor rushed past him. He was running around to almost every end of the Tardis, hitting and touching nearly everything while continuously going "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

When Link finally got to his feet he asked "Doctor, what happened?"

The Doctor ignored him, still frantically running around.

"Doctor?!" Link yelled to get his attention.

The Doctor finally responded, quite angrily, though his anger was not at Link. "The Tardis! When it came through the portal it was dropped onto the exact spot that something else was existing in! The Tardis and the other thing are now existing in the exact same place at the exact same time and it's killing her!"

The Doctor continued running around. "So the Tardis and the Twilight Palace got fused together?" Link asked.

"If that's what the other thing was then yes!" He answered impatiently, not having time to talk. He continued doing everything he could think of, though he already knew none of it would work. He's a man who needs to do something, anytime and always. But eventually, he had to quit moving and lean forward onto the controls and do the one thing he would always rather not do: stop moving and be part of the present.

"The Tardis is coping as best as she can." The Doctor said, the anger having gone down a bit. "She's keeping what she can of herself together. Even managed to keep us from being thrown into the mix. Always looking out for me and my companions she is."

Link watched the Doctor leaning over in despair, quietly saying to the Tardis "I'm so sorry." Link didn't know what to say. The Doctor talked about the Tardis like it was alive. For all Link knew, it was. He thought back to when Zant had fully brought Midna into the Light World and it was killing her. He'd never rushed like that before. He'd never before known that feeling of knowing his friend was dying and there being nothing he could do about it. If Zelda hadn't sacrificed her power to save Midna…

Link went over to the Doctor. "Doctor, we'll save her. We'll save them all. There's always a way."

The Doctor stood up a bit straighter. "Link…I've been doing this for a very…very long time." He said. "I have lost many people in that time. I have learned the hard way that there isn't always a way."

Link opened his mouth to protest this, but the Doctor interrupted by continuing. "But whenever there is a way, you'd better believe that it's my friends and I who find it."

The look of sadness was replaced by determination as the Doctor fixed his bow-tie. Link grateful to see that his ally had not given up hope as he'd feared. "So what now, Doctor?"

"Well, given that as soon as we realized where we would find the people we're looking for that portal opened up and brought us there, crippling the Tardis and nearly killing us in the process…I'd say that it's been a someone creating these portals the whole time and that they overheard us and knew we were onto them."

"So they figured why not just bring us here and finish us off themselves?" Link asked.

"Exactly right." The Doctor said. He then lowered his voice. "In fact, they're waiting for us right now. Just outside the Tardis doors."

Link turned to look at the doors, one of the few things that had not been melded together with the palace. "How can you possibly tell that?" he asked.

"Because when I was running about earlier, one of the things I checked was the doors. The Tardis wouldn't let them open." He said. "Whatever is out there, the Tardis recognizes it as a direct threat to us. It doesn't want us out or it in because it knows it will kill us. Or worse…"

"So you're saying we can't leave?"

"No. I'm saying the Tardis is giving us plenty of warning. With the monitors and sensors down, we'd have no way of knowing what it is. The Tardis is at least able to tell us that it is very, very dangerous."

Both stood there, looking at the doors. Link, not looking away, asked "We're still going, right?"

"Shield's up." The Doctor said, pulling out his Sonic Screwdriver. Link pulled out his shield and unsheathed the Master Sword. He went first, the indestructible shield ready for whatever they would face. He opened the door, the Tardis allowing him to.

…

Link recognized the surroundings. They were inside the throne room of the Twilight Palace, the Tardis having been merged into the wall. Just as last time Link had been there, the room was mostly big and empty, save for the single man getting up from the throne.

The man approaching Link and the Doctor was almost completely covered head to toe, wearing an outfit very similar to Zant's. Same dark robes worn by Twili nobility and same odd looking bulging mask. But it was not Zant. He looked too short to be Zant and Link could tell from the way he moved that he was not as crazed as Zant was when they fought. Still studying the opponent that was coming closer to him, Link noticed his right hand. On his hand were 3 triangles, same as on Link and Zelda, with one of them light up. And Link recognized which it was.

The Triforce of Power.

"Ganon!" Link yelled out and charged at him, ignoring the Doctor yelling to him to wait. Link swung his sword at the masked man but he magical summoned his own much larger sword and intercepted the attack. The two fought, the sounds of the swords clashing echoing through the throne room. The battle was as fierce as it had been before, but Link noticed a difference in the way Ganon was fighting. He fought very well with a sword and was using styles Link had never seen before, but the way he was fighting made it seem like he was still remembering not only how to fight with his sword, but also how he fights in general. This strange difference allowed Link the split-second he needed and he was able to knock the sword out of his hand.

Link brought his sword down for a finishing blow, but then the masked man did something Ganon never had done before. He shot lightning out of his hands.

The power hit him with full force and knocked clear across the room, high into a wall, the Hero's clothes being the only thing that kept his body from being completely fried. He fell from the wall and hit the ground hard. He was unable to get up and was barely conscious.

The Doctor got between the masked man and Link, his screwdriver pointed directly at the man. "Back! Back I say!" The Doctor bluffed. "Or I'll…cast the power of Abracadabra, the legendary demon from my world, down upon you and your life will then be forfeit! You believe in that stuff here, right?" He let the screwdriver hum to add power to his threat.

Finally, the masked man spoke. "Doctor, we both know it doesn't work like that. Of all the things you've made, you simply refused to make that one lethal."

The man had stopped advancing and with his bluff having fallen through, the Doctor lowered the screwdriver. "You're familiar with me?" he asked the man.

"As are you with me." He said, removing his mask. He looked very similar to how Ganon was described, same color hair and skin, though not as muscular and with no beard. But this was clearly not the Ganon the Doctor had heard so much about. Something was off. And something was familiar.

"Now, this version of me tends to be a bit forgetful, but I'm fairly certain I've never met you before." The Doctor said.

"Now Doctor, I may look different, but I'd like to think I've got enough of the same stuff left." The man said smiling. "After all, the new models don't always fix the problems that the previous had (You're a great example of that). I've still got that little discharge problem I picked up from last time, Doctor. That friend of yours found that out the hard way."

The Doctor quickly glanced over at Link, who was now completely knocked out.

"…And I can still hear them Doctor. Even though they don't need me to hear them anymore, even away from our universe, I can hear them."

"…Hear…what?" the Doctor asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

The man kept smiling and took a step forward with each word he said.

"Bump."

"Bump."

"Bump."

"Bump."

The last step brought him and the Doctor face-to-face, the Doctor now knowing all too well who it was.

"How are you here, Master?"

The Master just smiled and put his palm to the Doctor's chest. There was a spark. And then everything went dark.


	8. All or nothing

**Part 8: All or nothing**

The Doctor awoke with a start. A jump start to be precise, as the Master had stopped his hearts before with his electricity and had just now started them back up the same way. The Doctor found himself chained up to one of the railings of the Tardis, the Master looking over him and gloating.

"You had me worried there for a second, Doctor." The Master said. "I thought I'd hit you with too much and you died."

The Doctor stalled, trying to get him to keep talking while his vison realigned. "And I'm supposed to believe that you actually wanted to keep me alive?" he said.

"Well, truth be told, I don't exactly need you to be alive." The Master said. "I'm just doing it that way for the same reason you keep those companions of yours around: it's much more fun to have an audience while you're working."

The Doctor stood up as much as the chains would allow him to do so. He observed that the markings from the palace fused with the Tardis were glowing, likely being caused by the Master. He could hear the noises the Tardis was making, almost like sad, suffering whimpers. Whatever the Master was doing was making the Tardis's condition much worse.

"The last time I saw you, you were being taken by the Time Lords back to Gallifrey during the Time War. That's basically as good as being dead." The Doctor said. "How'd you manage to end up here?"

"The same way I ended up in most places of my life it seems: the council." The Master said, a bit of his anger finally stemming to the surface. "They wanted me to fight in their war, hoping that I might be able to turn the tide in their favor and I agreed to do it, but only if they removed the drums from my head that they put there!"

"I'm going to guess they didn't." The Doctor said.

"They said they'd do it after the war, if we won!" The Master exclaimed. "They just needed a way to control me and the drums were the only thing they had for it! Without them, they couldn't be sure that I wouldn't just leave and let Gallifrey burn."

"Which you probably would have." The Doctor pointed out.

The Master smiled. "Well… patriotism only goes so far."

"So anyway…" The Master continued. "After a bit of arguing and one dead council member later (I don't remember who it was, it was all rather heated and fast), they sent me into the void. None of the Time Lords believed that using it to escape the Time War was going to be any better than the war itself, so they decided to use it as a prison for yours truly. They cracked open the universe a tiny bit and sent me away."

The Doctor had always wondered if the crack that had led to Pete's world had been caused by anything. With both the Daleks and the council having done so, he finally had his answer. "The council of all people know about the dangers of cracking the universe. Why would they risk it just to send you away?" The Doctor asked.

"I think it was more of an excuse to do it." The Master responded. "With the way the war was going the Daleks seemed like they were going to win. So, if the Daleks were going to inherit the universe, why not give them a universe that could fall apart on them and destroy them all?"

"You expect me to believe that the council would let the rest of the universe die just to end the Daleks?" The Doctor asked angrily.

"Given that the only other option would be to let the Daleks exterminate everyone in the universe anyway, it seemed like the better option." The Master saying with a bit of apathy in his voice. "It was a desperate time. I believe you of all people know that better than most."

The Doctor just glared at him. _"No need to tell him that Gallifrey might still be out there."_ He thought to himself.

"So there I am drifting in the void when I should happen to meet someone who escaped into the void, this Ganon person!" The Master said.

"Ganon is dead." The Doctor stated. "They had his body cremated. Zelda explained that they made sure to do that so he wouldn't come back."

"Yes. What I met was more like his essence. His soul, if you believe in that kind of thing." The Master started to explain. "Apparently, he used the last of his power from this thing…" the Master said pointing to the Triforce of Power on his hand. "…to send his soul into the void so that he could find a way to rise again. If his soul had stayed here, the light spirits would have found him and destroyed him forever. Thus the void was his best option."

"And you know all this how?" The Doctor asked, finally seeing his sonic screwdriver resting on the console next to the Master Sword.

"Isn't it obvious?" The Master asked. "I have all his memories. Ganondorf and I? Now one and the same, though I have control of the steering wheel. As an essence he needed a host to inhabit before he could go back, so when he found me he tried to possess my body. I wasn't going to let that happen so we had a bit of an internal struggle. And then he killed me and caused me to regenerate. Apparently I had one left after all. And through that regeneration he and I fused into this form you see before you now."

The Master looked at his reflection in the Tardis monitor. "I can't say this is one of my better looking ones, but I can at least find some comfort in technically being ginger."

"You wanted to be ginger?" The Doctor asked.

"No." The Master replied. "But you did."

"It's not a competition." The Doctor said a bit miffed.

"Of course it's not." The Master said. "1. I've already won, and 2. You're going to be dead soon anyway."

"Yes, let talk about that for a bit, shall we?" The Doctor said, forming a plan in his mind about how to get to his sonic screwdriver and break out of his chains. "You get a new body by fusing with a fellow criminal refugee from another universe, gaining that triangle power in the process I'm assuming..."

"It's a very handy thing to have." The Master said.

"I can imagine." The Doctor said. "You use said new power and form to create your own pocket dimension, pieced together from whatever your portals suck up from other universes…"

"I needed a place to call my own." The Master mocked.

"You steal my Tardis, kidnap a Princess, and dump all the Daleks and Cybermen from the void into the Twilight realm, all for what? To get my attention? To try and get me here so you could show off?"

The Master then burst out laughing. "And you always thought that I had ego problems. Yes, everything that happens must revolve around the great Doctor."

"You'd have more of a point if that wasn't usually the case." The Doctor said.

"Fair enough." The Master said. "But like I told you before, you are here because it's much more fun to work in front of an audience. I do not need you to be here. I needed the Tardis. I needed control over the Twilight palace. I needed Princess Zelda. And if you're wondering why I only finished grabbing the Tardis when you finally got back to it, that's because you were traveling with the last person I needed."

"Link?"

The Master nodded. He turned to the console and waved his hand, lifting his illusion and causing Link and Zelda to be seen, both chained to the console.

"I think we both developed a bad taste for theatrics from our time among humans." The Master said.

"What do you need them for?" The Doctor asked, his mind reaching more desperately for any solution to getting out of his chains.

"When I merged with Ganondorf I didn't just get his memories." The Master explained. "All that regeneration energy unlocked Ganon's memories of his past lives. While we Time Lords have regeneration, there are some from their universe that have reincarnation."

"How do Link and Zelda fit into this?" The Doctor asked again.

"During every one of Ganon's past lives there were always two people who stood in his way. A woman, usually a Princess, named Zelda, and a green clad hero who could weld the only weapon capable of killing Ganon. These two…" The Master said pointing at Link and Zelda. "…are the latest in that line. And soon about to be the last. Pop quiz Doctor: what do all three of these people have in common with each other?"

The words accidentally slipped out as the realization dawned, as he'd seen it when he met Zelda and saw it on Link once or twice during battle. "The Triforce."

"That's correct Doctor. Link: the Triforce of courage and Zelda: the Triforce of wisdom. Separate they give the welder great powers and abilities, but if all three are welded by the same person…they can make anything they wish happen. And that power is about to be mine!"

At that moment all the puzzle pieces fit together in the Doctor's mind. The Master had attacked the Twilight Realm specifically to get the palace. Link had told the Doctor that when Zant took over he robbed Midna of her power and had control over the palace. Now the Master has that same control and with it comes control over the Tardis which has merged with the palace.

"Master, NO! Don't do it!" The Doctor yelled to him, pulling on his chains as hard as he could, any plan for getting his screwdriver lost in the panic of the moment.

"It's too late Doctor! I'm about to get everything I ever wanted!" The Master yelled back. The center column started to crack and shake, golden light pouring out of the cracks. The Tardis shaking madly with every effort to resist.

"You can't survive looking into the time vortex! No one can!" The Doctor yelled.

"When I captured your Tardis back in our universe I looked at what the Tardis had been recording." The Master said to him. "That Rose Tyler girl of yours looked directly into it."

"And she nearly died from it!"

"And so did you when you took that energy back from her." The Master continued. "But that energy is exactly what I need to make this happen. The Time Vortex will destroy these two, breaking them down into their basic essence, which I will absorb. That energy will destroy me too, but I'll regenerate, into a form which has control over the completed Triforce!"

"There are too many things to go wrong for this to work!" The Doctor begged. "You're going to kill three people, one of whom is yourself! Think about this!"

"It's a gamble, Doctor." The Master said to him. "On the one side is unlimited power. On the other is death. I could become nothing or I could gain everything. And that's a chance I'm willing to take!"

And with that, the column burst open, the time vortex bursting through the hearts of both Link and Zelda, whom were now fully awakened by the unimaginable pain they were in.

It was too bright to see what was happening and the shaking of the Tardis made it impossible to feel anything else. The Doctor had to get them out of there, but what could he do? The Tardis was having its heart ripped out and his screwdriver had been chucked to the other end of the room by the shaking. And with the Master no long paying attention to him, he could not trick him into letting him out. Every plan he had fell apart as soon as it was formed.

But then he heard something. Through all the noise, through Link and Zelda's screams of pain, through the Master's laughter, through the rumblings of the Tardis, he heard something unique.

Music notes. More specifically music notes from a small wooden wind instrument from the sound of it.

The Master heard it too. Both looked towards where the sounds were coming from and it was Princess Zelda. Hidden in the sash of her dress was an ocarina, with the time vortex energy moving through it so fast it was creating music. The glow and music from the ocarina was having an effect on the Tardis, as parts of the Tardis retook some of what had been taken over by the palace.

And then the greatest sound in the universe was heard, as the "whooshing" of the Tardis started up.

"What's happening?!" The Master said.

"I have no idea but so far I'm liking it." The Doctor replied with a smile. The Tardis was transporting them somewhere and while it wasn't always reliable when it came to where the Doctor wanted to go, it still had never let him down when all else failed.

The "whooshing" finally stopped and the door opened up. The Master peered out the door to see where they were but his eyes needed a moment to adjust due to the brightness of the time vortex.

He then proceeded to take an arrow to the eye. His powers had prevented the arrow from going any further than his eye, but there was still the matter of the pain. The Master howled in agony. His broken concentration allowing the Tardis to reseal the time vortex.

An accented female voice was then heard from outside the Tardis. "Sorry, that looked like it really hurt."

"Not as much as this will." Said another female voice outside. The Master looked with his one good eye and saw as 4 energy tentacles struck through the doorway and nailed him to the wall on the other end of the room.

Two women then entered the Tardis. One: a brown haired human dressed as a schoolteacher with a book bag and holding a bow. The other: a red haired Twili woman with a bandaged stomach and energy tentacles coming out of her hands to keep the Master where he was.

"What the heck happened in here?" Clara (the human) asked looking around at the mess.

"Clara!" The Doctor cried out happily.

She saw him as soon as he called out her name. "Doctor!"

She went over to him as Midna looked to see the two figures chained to the control column.

"Zelda? Link?!" she gasped.

Link was barely able to open his eyes to see who had said his name. "Midna?" he asked weakly.

"Jim! Bones! Doctor Spock!" the Master yelled.

"What?" Midna said, not getting the reference as the Master shot electricity at her. She ran to the side to avoid his attack, but in doing so her energy tentacles dissolved, allowing the master to get free.

He smiled at her while removing the arrow from his eye. "You know, I let you live so that you maybe could service me one day. A hole in the gut is not a very good way to say thank you."

"You left me in the middle of the courtyard bleeding to death." Midna pointed out.

"Still I didn't directly kill you so my point remains." The Master said. His power then instantly healing his eye and his stomach. "Good as new."

"I'll fix that." Midna said as she attacked with more of her energy tentacles, the Master countering with more electricity. The two battled while Clara focused on the Doctor.

"Clara, where have you been? I've been worried sick about you." The Doctor asked.

"Tell you later. Right now got to get you out of these chains." Clara said.

"Right. My sonic's over there." The Doctor said pointing his head to where Midna was standing, the screwdriver right next to her foot.

Clara was tempted to get it, but the many powerful sparks from Minda and the Master's clash, some nearly striking her and Doctor from a distance, told her that it was probably not in her best interest to go near that. "I've got a faster idea." Clara said, pulling a battle axe out of her book bag.

The Doctor eyed the axe nervously. "Where do you get that?"

"I found it lying around." She said. "Now hold still."

The Doctor started doing the opposite and started fidgeting around. "Clara…I really thing we should go with the sonic on this one."

"Doctor, stop moving!"

"Clara, we have other options here."

"Doctor!"

"Clara, hold on for one-!"

He was interrupted when Clara brought the axe down and spit the chains holding the Doctor to the railing.

"Oh…you were going to cut the chains…" The Doctor said.

Clara just looked at him. "Did you think I was going to cut off your hands?!"

"Well when you suddenly come at someone with an axe their mind does tend to jump to the worst way you could use it!"

The annoyed Clara responded by saying "Doctor, you and I both know that your hands are not the worst thing that could be cut off with this."

"Point taken." The Doctor said as he ran past her to his sonic screwdriver, dodging every powerful spark that he could.

"EXUSE ME! PARDON ME! MAKE WAY! Hello Midna nice to finally meet you I'm the Doctor catch up with you later!" He said as he grabbed his sonic and the Master Sword and ran over to Link and Zelda, Clara running to the same spot.

"See how easy that was?!" he asked her.

"Oh you never going to let it go, are you?!"

"Not at the moment!" The Doctor said as his sonic burst Link and Zelda's chains. Clara caught Link and the Doctor caught Zelda when they fell.

"So, who are your new friends?" Clara asked.

"Link and Zelda. I don't care who you call who at the moment because right now we have to-oof!" The Doctor was interrupted as Midna was tossed right into him, knocking him and Clara down.

The Master had won their little battle and was walking closer to the group. "You know, I've always been more of a planning behind-the-scenes kind of guy." He said. "But it seems that Ganon's barbarianism is making this hands-on stuff a lot more fun for me."

The Master caused Ganon's sword to appear and he grasped it, preparing to smite those whom he did not need.

Then, quick as a flash, Link grabbed the Master Sword and slashed the Master across the chest. The Master yelled out in pain.

"That…was rude." The Master said as his wound dripped with blood. He shot his electricity at Link, but this time Link was ready for it. He spin around, using his sword to bounce back some of the power at the Master, knocking him off his feet.

The Master got back up, through with playing around. He prepared to unleash much more of the power he'd acquired upon the group when once more the Tardis started "whooshing" and shaking again, only this was the most violent of them all. Everyone inside was tossed around from one end to the other.

The Doctor was the first to notice. The Tardis was disappearing. It was going away, but they weren't going with it. They were about to fall out through it. He could see the Master concentrating as hard as he could to make the Tardis obey him using what was left of the palace that was still merged with it. But to no avail and the Master disappeared first.

The Tardis disappeared from right under them and the group hit the rocky ground hard. An orange sky hanging over them.

"We're…we're back in the Twilight realm." Midna said as they all (with much effort) got up.

Clara looked over to the Doctor. "Doctor…what just happened?"

He took a minute to respond. "The Tardis…she's gone. Completely."

Clara just looked at him. "You mean…"

The Doctor kept just standing there. "She was fighting for both her survival and ours. And…in the end…she decided we were more important."

Clara walked over to the Doctor and gave him a hug to help him with the loss of his oldest companion. He did not resist.

Link tried to go over to help him as well, but as soon as he took a step forward the toll on his body finally hit him and he collapsed, Midna catching him before he hit the ground. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Midna looking down at him, yelling his name.


	9. Answer

**Part 9: Answer**

Link awoke on a soft bed for once after he regained consciousness. He was in a torch-lit room with a few other beds and a supply cabinet. There were no windows so he guessed he was in some kind of basement.

"Finally awake, are you?" a voice said. Link turned his head and saw it was Midna, sitting next to his bed.

"Midna…" Link said, a smile coming to his face. He tried sitting up when pain jolted through his spine.

Midna pushed him down back into the bed. "Don't get up." She commanded him. "That 'time vortex' stuff didn't give you any injuries but the Doctor said that you're going to have a lot of excess pain to work through. Not to mention the actual wounds you obtained when that Master guy knocked you on your ass." She said that last part with a bit of a smirk.

"How'd you know about that?" Link asked.

"The Doctor brought Clara, Zelda, and I up to speed while you were out." She said. "That man sure talks a lot. That or he sure likes to hear himself talk."

"Yep." Link said. Then it occurred to him. "So Zelda's ok?"

"Yeah. She had to take some time to rest, but she didn't black out like you did. Kinda making you look like a pansy, isn't she?" Midna smirked.

"I was severely beaten up before Zelda and I went through that 'time vortex' thing."

"Excuses."

Taking Midna's bait, Link tried again, working through the pain and managing to sit up so he could talk to her face-to-face.

"Well…still as stubborn as ever I see." Midna said.

"And you're still as rude and bossy as ever I see." Link said.

"I have a kingdom to run. That's the proper attitude for the job."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

Both had been smiling through the whole exchange, both incredibly relived to see the other again after both had thought they were lost to each other forever. They both sat there in silence for a moment as they looked at each other, the moment ending when they realized they were staring and quickly looked away out of embarrassment.

"So…where are we?" Link asked breaking the awkward silence.

"We're in Dwani." Midna said. "Apparently you and the Doctor saved the people of this village from some invaders called Cybermen. Thank you for that by the way."

"Uh…no problem." Link said ("_I never bothered to ask Alia or Zue what the name of this village was._").

"The Doctor thought this would be the best place to take you to recover, given that it's the only place we could take you to recover where we wouldn't run the risk of running into Daleks." Midna said. "By the way, what's a Dalek?"

"Evil metal killer spice jars." Link said.

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"You are as far wrong as you can get about that."

"So long as we don't have to find out about that I'll take your word on it."

Link smiled. He'd underestimated how much he missed her and how great it felt to be with her again. "So what happened to you when the Master transported the Twilight Palace to that weird dimension of his?"

"What do you think happened?" Midna said. "Soon as he showed himself he killed my guards and challenged me for my throne. Had I known he had Ganon's power I'd have been more prepared, but he got me by surprise and took the power of the Fused Shadow from me. That's how he gained so much control over the portals. Before he could only create the one that got him out of the void. He couldn't use it right away, but he didn't need to against me. He stabbed me through the stomach and left me to die. If that Clara woman hadn't found me and treated my wounds, I would have."

Midna was gritting her teeth in anger. "That bastard is responsible for the death of many of my people. Directly or through those damn machines he brought here, it doesn't matter! He is going to pay! I swear I'll turn his body into a lawn decoration for the Twilight Palace for all he's done!"

Link knew her anger was completely justified. The Twili may not be his people but they needed to be avenged, and above all else, the Master needed to be slain.

Link held her hand. "And I swear I'll help you do it." He said.

Though she found it corny, she couldn't help but smile at the warmth of Link's hand and his words. "The two of us joining forces to go kill someone I don't like. Just like old times." She said.

"Considering the person is someone who's taking over using the power of Ganon and the Twilight realm, it's almost exactly like old times." Link said getting out of bed. He nearly tripped from not being on his feet for a while but Midna pushed her hands on his chest and back to help support him.

"While I appreciate the enthusiasm you're not much use till your wounds are all healed." Midna said.

"Says the woman with a sword sized hole through her stomach." Link said, pointing to her bandaged midsection.

"Yes, well, the difference is we're back in the Twilight realm where I'm princess and I can do whatever I damn well please because of it." She smirked.

Link couldn't help but laugh to himself. He hadn't felt so good in ages, which was funny given all he'd just been through. He then noticed that he and Midna's faces were barely a few inches from each other and fell silent as he looked into her eyes, finding himself unable to speak. Midna looked back at him, noticing the change in his mannerisms. Her deep orange eyes met his soft blue ones.

Link's head kept telling him it was not the time. That they both have too much to do and too much on their plate already to have to deal with another. That he shouldn't ever make the attempt. But his body was controlled by his heart at that moment. Link's arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed her.

Midna's eyes went wide with shock and disbelief over what was happening. Link's arms around her had a firm hold, yet he also kept it loose so that if she wished to get away he would not stop her.

But she did not. After a few seconds she slowly closed her eyes. She slowly put her arms around him and returned the kiss.

When she returned it Link held her a little tighter. And for that moment for both of them, there was nothing but the two of them. No Daleks. No Master. No Doctor and Clara. Just them. And that moment lasted until Midna was the one who finally broke the kiss, neither letting go of the other, foreheads touching and looking down.

"Back then, I wanted to be with you." Link said quietly to her. "If you had asked…if you had said anything…I would have gone with you."

"That's why I couldn't." Midna said sadly, withdrawing her arms from him and withdrawing herself from his.

"What?" Link asked in confusion.

"Link…would you ever ask me to leave the Twilight realm forever to go with you?" Midna asked.

Link didn't know how to answer. Because of Zelda Midna could survive in the Light World unlike the rest of the Twili, so she could have stayed with him. But if there was one thing for sure that he knew about her, it's that she held her people at a great importance and had a great duty to them.

"No, you wouldn't." Midna pointed out. "Because you could never ask me to abandon those important to me. Those who need me. And I could never ask you to do that either."

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

"Don't play dumb, Link, just because you're too humble to see it." Midna said. "I travelled around with you. I saw all the people you've saved and helped. I saw all the people whose lives revolved around you. Those kids who idolized you. All those villagers who respected you. How _obvious_ Ilia's feeling towards you are. All those people are as important to you as the Twili are to me. You understand full well why I wasn't going to take you away from that."

Midna had her back turned to him and Link looked to the ground. She was right. He'd never considered how him leaving was going to affect anyone. Ilia was close to tears at the thought that he might die. How would his village feel if he was just gone forever? Was he really willing to abandon everything?

"Besides…" Midna said, still not facing him. "What we have is…is probably just sexual tension anyway. I mean we travelled around with each other for so long through life and death and we're both kinda hot, of course we're going to develop some kind of emotional bond."

"Midna…" Link started.

"Link." She stopped him. "Trust me. You'll be happier when all this is over. You'll be able to forget about the Twilight Realm. You can have your old life back. You'll fall in love with that Ilia girl like you would have. Start a family. Have a farm. The life you've always wanted."

Link's heart tried desperately to fight this. "But I don't love her." He said.

"That's too bad." Midna said coldly. "Because I don't love you."

Her word jabbed Link and Midna took the opportunity to quickly flee up the basement steps.

He sat back down onto the bed, unable to stand anymore. His personal mission for this quest was completed. He had is answer to what he wanted to know.

And the answer broke his heart.

…

Midna knew she did the right thing. For him. For them both. But when she reached the top of the stairs she still hid her eyes, not risking the chance that anyone would see the tears.


	10. The weight of three worlds

**Part 10: The weight of three worlds**

After some time passed, Link pulled himself together and got up. He still had a job to do and he was going to see it through. He went upstairs to find everyone.

When he reached the top of the stairs Zue was the first he encountered. Zue's expression became incredibly gleeful as soon as she saw him.

"Yay! Beast, you're awake!" she said, running over to him.

Deciding to go along with the name, Link smiled back. "It's good to see you again Zue. Has everything been alright?"

"Uh-huh! We did what you told us to. All the villagers stayed hidden and didn't come out until we were absolutely sure that it was you and your friends." Zue said happily. It put Link at ease to see someone happy after all he'd experienced. "You missed it earlier, Beast. Mom almost fainted when she saw that it was Princess Midna with you. It was funny!"

"I'll bet it was." Link said. "Say Zue, do you know where my friends are?"

"Yeah. I think they're down the hall to the left." She pointed for him.

"Thank you." Link said and he walked to the room, with Zue following behind him.

Link got to the room and opened the door. "Doctor? Princess Zeldaaaaawhhhaaaaaaaaaaaattt the?" Link said as he gazed up at the massive spinning contraption made of brooms, wheels, wood, and whatever else looked like it could have just been lying around. Zue gazed at it too but with a look of awe instead of confusion.

The Doctor poked his head out from behind it. "Ah, Link! Awake at last. Come on over here, we've been waiting on you."

As Link just stood there dumbfounded the Doctor had to grab his arm to bring him over to where the group was.

"Doctor, what is this?" Link asked finally.

"Tell you in a minute. People to talk to." The Doctor said as they finally got over to where Clara, Zelda, and Midna were. Link and Midna looked at each other for a moment and then quickly looked away, both faces turning very red, Clara the only person in the room to take notice.

Zelda spoke, snapping Link to attention. "Sir Link, I wish to thank you for once again coming to my aid. I am in your debt."

"It is an honor, your highness." Link said, giving a small bow to her (Rusl had always stressed to importance of showing proper respect should he ever meet the ruler of Hyrule again).

Zelda signaled with her hand that the bow was not necessary. "It is unfortunate, however, that I must ask for your help once again."

"What do you need?" Link asked.

"Just a moment." Zelda said, taking notice of Zue. She walked over to her and said "Zue, honey, could you please wait outside for us? We all just need to talk for a bit and we'll be right out."

"But I wanted to play with the funny man's big toy." Zue said sullenly.

The Doctor joined in. "We just need to use it for a bit and then you can play with it all you want, ok? We just need a few minutes."

"Ok." Zue accepted and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Zelda turned back to the group. "Sorry, but I didn't want a child to have to overhear the direness of the situation." She said grimly. "Doctor, please tell the others what you told me."

The Doctor took the floor. "My machine here has been monitoring the space-time of this universe, trying to detect the ripples that form from the portals, maybe find one we can use to get back to your universe."

"Your magic pinwheel can do all that?" Midna asked.

"It's not magic, it's non-technological technology of Lammasteen!" The Doctor countered. "Works well in a pinch when your local area hasn't gotten to making toasters yet."

"So you found a portal back?" Link asked.

"Several, but not the good kind." The Doctor stated.

Everyone stayed quiet so he could elaborate.

"There are portals open all over this dimension, going every which way, but they all are beginning from the same point of origin."

"That little universe the Master pieced together." Clara realized.

"Yes, and those portals aren't just acting like doorways anymore. They are sucking up parts of this universe and sending them there."

Midna stood up abruptly. "He's adding more of the Twilight Realm to his world?!"

"Not just the Twilight Realm, Midna." Zelda said. "By the look of things he's taking from Hyrule and the Doctor's universe as well."

"So the Master is ripping things from our universes to try to make his own 'super' universe. Is that even possible?" Clara asked.

"Not for long." The Doctor said. "Eventually his makeshift universe will reach a breaking point and shatter. When that happens those portals are going to start sending things into the void. All our universes will be lost into nothingness."

"What's the point of the Master doing this, then?!" Link exclaimed. "If taking from all these worlds is going to destroy him too, why would he do it?!"

"Easy." Midna said. "He's a sore loser."

"Or he hasn't given up hope of obtaining the Triforce." Zelda said.

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

Zelda explained. "The Master has all the memories of Ganon's past lives. He knows that with everything in danger the bearer of the Triforce of courage won't just stand by and do nothing to stop him."

"_She's right."_ Link admitted to himself.

"…And he knows that as the bearer of the Triforce of wisdom, my Light Arrows are one of the few things that can inflict lasting harm on him. So if you go I'd go with."

"All this is just to get you two." Midna stated.

Zelda nodded. "The Master has lain out a simple choice for us: do nothing and let three worlds vanish forever, or try fighting him and risk one of the greatest powers ever known fall into the hands of a madman."

"Become nothing or gain everything." The Doctor quoted. "This is definitely my least favorite regenerations of the Master."

They all sat in silence for a moment, taking everything in. Clara broke the silence first.

"What the plan?"

Zelda answered. "If we can somehow manage to destroy the Master, the power of the Fused Shadow will return to Midna and she'll be able to reverse the portals, restoring the universes back to the way they were before."

"That's not much of a plan." Link said.

"12% of one at best." Clara said.

"When do we leave?" Midna asked impatiently, eager to end the threat that pledged her people.

Understanding her eagerness, the Doctor said "I can use the Sonic Screwdriver to help momentarily stabilize one the portals so we can cross into the Master's world safely. But after that there's no telling what we'll have to deal with, so make sure you're ready before we set out."

All nodded in agreement. All went their separate ways to prepare. Clara had to quickly move out of the way as she opened the door and Zue ran in, wanting to play with the Doctor's "toy". As Link went back downstairs he overheard the Doctor telling Zue exactly what she should not do so that the "toy" won't self-destruct.

…

Link looked through his belongings to see what was still usable. The clawshots were still functioning and his shield was still strong, but all his bottles of potion had been destroyed when the Master hit him with lightning (_"Where in all of Hyrule am I going to be able to find another bottle?!"_). Looking through his arrows to see how many remained Link's mind wondered.

Not even when he was first transformed into a wolf did he feel as unprepared as he did now. So much was at stake. So many. He knew he had to try of course. He couldn't let the villagers disappear forever, nor the rest of Hyrule, nor the people of the Twilight Realm, nor those of the Doctor's strange universe. He could not let his allies fight alone against the Master, not after all they'd done for him and with everything on the line. Even though Midna broke his heart she was still his friend and he would fight to his last breath for her.

…But still…he was afraid.

He was afraid that he was only fighting because it was his destiny to as the bearer of the Triforce of courage.

He was afraid that he was about to fail in his destined duty and die, three different worlds going with him.

He was afraid that what made him destined was about to make a terrible man all powerful.

…He was afraid…

Link snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of someone coming down the stairs. He turned to see who it was and it was Zelda.

"Princess Zelda!" Link exclaimed, quickly giving a bow.

Zelda laughed a little. "Link, there is no need to be so formal. In our coming battle there will be no hierarchy, simply allies fighting together."

Link rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry. Rusl always taught me the importance of respect for royalty."

Zelda smiled. "Well we'll have plenty of time for proper etiquette later, should we succeed." Zelda then straightened her face to get down to the business she'd come down there for. "Link, for our coming battle, I believe it's important for you to have this." She said, handing him the Ocarina that played in the Tardis. Link looked at it, puzzled.

"This was used generations ago by the Hero of Time." Zelda explained. "He defeated Ganon in his own time and then went back in time to prevent Ganondorf from ever gaining power using this Ocarina. I was reminded of this when the Doctor first told me of his missing Tardis. I was going to show it to him but the portal captured me before I could."

"What am I supposed to do with it? The Doctor said time doesn't really work here." Link said.

"I do not know, but it has saved us once already." Zelda said. "The Hero of Time is said to have been named Link. He probably was one of your past lives."

"He was. Err…is." Link said, staring at the Ocarina in his hand. "What I mean is…ever since that Time Vortex stuff I can remember bits and pieces from my past lives and I kinda remember this thing."

Zelda noticed Link's mood. "Link, what troubles you?"

Link started to deny that anything was wrong, but Zelda's stare told him that she wouldn't accept anything but the truth.

"I…don't think I can win this. I'm afraid that we're facing something far greater than we can handle. I'm here because I'm destined to save Hyrule in its darkest hours, but what if destiny isn't enough to win this time?"

Link looked to the ground in shame of his cowardice. Zelda placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

"You are right." She said. "Destiny is not enough to win this. And you are also wrong. You are not here because of destiny. You are here because you came here."

Link lifted his head back up to her as she continued. "I also can remember some of my past lives thanks to the Time Vortex. You and I have been many things through the lifetimes: allies, friends, lovers." (Link blushed heavily at the last one.) "And through all those lifetimes I have trusted and believed in you, as I do now, but not because you are destined to save us. Destiny can be overruled or ignored. Ganon believes that it is his destiny to rule all, a destiny I will never allow to happen. I believed in you because in every lifetime, including this one, you chose to be our savior. In every lifetime there were many times where you could have quit and no one would have blamed you, but you kept going. You kept fighting. Not because it was your destiny to, but because you wished to save all those you care for. You are not here because of destiny. You are here because you wanted to help the Doctor. Because you wanted to save me. Because you wanted to see Midna again. And I imagine you have reasons for wanting to face the Master again."

"_The villagers. Ilia. Colin. Zue. Midna._

Zelda smiled at him. "The Triforce of courage is nothing without the courage that already exists in the heart. You won your past battles because you fought for them. Why would you imagine this time to be any different?" She said as she walked back upstairs.

Link gripped the Ocarina determinedly. Zelda was right. He was afraid, but fear would not stop him. It was because everyone was counting on them that they would not fail.

"_Live or die, destiny or not, I choose to fight this day."_

After gathering all his supplies Link fastened his sword and shield to his back and exited the basement.

All five of the allies met outside the household, Alia and Zue to see them off. The child's cheers of good luck heard loudly as they made their way to the nearest portal.


	11. Descent into the Dark Heaven

**Part 11: Descent into the Dark Heaven**

The group of unusual heroes exited from the Twilight portal into the Master's patchwork dimension. They had materialized onto the grounds surrounding a massive castle of mixed architecture. Parts of the Twilight Palace would start and stop, leading way to the Hylian build of Hyrule castle, as well as other bits of structure only two of the party recognized.

"Is that Buckingham Palace?" Clara asked.

"Oh, UNIT's not going to be happy about that." The Doctor said.

He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the front of the castle, while Link used the Hawkeye mask to search off into the distance.

"Doctor, I see a lot of Daleks out there."

"Yes, I imagine the Master probably pulled them all from the Twilight realm in order to get some unknowing security. Put them out there so that we can't stay out here very long." The Doctor replied.

"Because the moment we step inside the palace we're in his power." Midna pointed out.

"Most likely, though it won't be as complete as before." The Doctor said, viewing the readings from his sonic. "All these portals must require a lot of strength to pull off and the Tardis did drop him out in mid-dematerialization, so he's likely not at full strength. He might not even know that we're here yet and that leaves us with an opening…which is probably why he let Daleks inside the castle too."

"How can you tell?" Link asked.

"Well, my sonic tells me that there are lifeforms inside…and that there are also lifeforms disappearing inside. Which means that there is something inside killing a lot of them, which screams Dalek, or that there are Daleks and other things inside being killed by something worse. Either way is not looking promising."

"Going to guess that it's too much to hope that the Dalek's might kill the Master too?" Clara asked.

"Ganondorf was a master illusionist in his time." Zelda answered. "If the Master does indeed control the same power then it is unlikely the Daleks will recognize him as an enemy."

Clara sighed. "Well, at least it'll be a more satisfying win given that we have literally all odds sacked against us."

The Doctor smiled. "I've taught you well."

The five opened the main doors and entered.

…With Link then immediately throwing up his shield to protect them from the bombardment of arrows.

As they all hid behind the shield Zelda took a quick look to see who was firing at them.

"They're Bulblin archers! They're native to Hyrule and loyal only to their own, why are they firing at us?!"

"Well they likely got sucked into one of those portals and been chased around all day by the Daleks." The Doctor said. "I imagine they're scared, confused, and possibly a little cross, so not the most reasonable sort."

"You know, this shield isn't big enough for a conversation at the moment!" Midna yelled.

"Will somebody please do something?!" Link yelled, focused on keeping the arrows from hitting his friends.

Midna then leaped sideways from behind the shield and used her magic to conjure up the energy tentacles to impale the small Bulblin force.

"I used to do that using my hair while in imp form. Imagine how ridiculous that'd look now." She commented.

The Doctor walked angrily up to her. "They were scared! Acting out of panic! You didn't have to kill them!"

"Excuse me?!" Midna exclaimed. "These things attacked us first! Fear or not, they were trying to kill us just like the Cybermen and the Daleks!"

"But there's a difference between them. The Cybermen and Daleks have no thoughts other than conversion and extermination. They can't be reasoned with. These creatures maybe could but now they're dead!"

"Uh, Doctor? Midna?" Link said as he heard noise approaching.

Both ignored him. "How long did YOU spend in the Light World?" Midna asked. "Because even in my short stay there I saw just how reasonable these creatures are, given the towns they claimed and the hostages they took!"

"Guys?" Link said, hearing the noise that seemed very clearly to be enemies running towards the commotion they were causing.

Both remained too focused on their argument. "You never even gave these creatures a chance! They could have helped us even! Would you have allowed this to happen to your people? People who were just fighting out of fear?"

"Why you hypocritical, self-righteous, son of a b-!"

Link then threw his lantern into the doorway where the enemies were soon to come from, which shattered on impact, erupting the hall in flames and snapping the Doctor and Midna to attention.

"Ethical dilemma later! Run for our lives now!" Link yelled.

Deciding he was right, both put aside the issue ("Another time?" "Another time.") and joined with the group in running deeper into the castle.

…

After a bit of running they finally stopped when they heard metallic clanging around the corner. Peeking around they saw a massive Bulblin, likely King Bulblin himself, engaging a Dalek in battle.

"EXTERMI-"

WHAM! As the Bulblin's massive blade struck the Dalek's side, sending it spinning. Due to the force field the Dalek was unharmed, so the Bulblin attacked again and brought the blade straight down into the Dalek, actually penetrating the dome. Though not far enough as the Dalek still lived and fired its beam at the Bulblin, killing it.

The force field slowly pushed the sword out of Dalek until it fell to the floor next to its owner, revealing the large gash in the Dalek's armor.

"EXTERIOR INTEGRITY COMPROMISED." It noted.

"You got that right." The Doctor said as he went up to the Dalek and stuck his screwdriver right into the gash. Before the Dalek could react the sonics rebounded throughout the inside of the armor until it finally lost consciousness.

"What happened to trying to reason with it?" Midna asked.

The Doctor, feeling he had that coming, said "This one isn't dead, just unconscious. Couldn't risk killing it or the other Daleks in the area would be alerted that there's something in this area that can kill Daleks. Something to which more Daleks would show up to and destroy."

Midna was about to comment when she and the others jumped back as the Dalek's armor opened up, revealing the grotesque creature within, its one eye closed.

"My sonic must have messed around with the armor enough to cause it to open." The Doctor explained. "I'll admit I'm surprised too. I've never been able to get it inside a closed Dalek before. The shear strength needed to force through a force field like that…"

They all looked over to the dead giant. Zelda knelt down to speak a Hylian prayer for him who would have been her enemy in any other circumstance. The Doctor and Midna looked at each other awkwardly.

"Link, um, could I borrow that Hawkeye thing of yours?" The Doctor asked. "I want to scan for a safe path."

Link tossed the mask over to him and the Doctor crept further down the corridor, prepared to run at a moment's notice.

The remaining group studied the strange creature now visible to them behind the Dalek's armor.

"This thing is ugly." Midna said, poking it to see if it would react. "I can see why it spends its life in a tin can."

Zelda held out her hand slowly to touch the creature and Link quickly grabbed it to stop her.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"On occasion my Triforce gives me the ability to communicate telepathically." Zelda explained. "I'm led to understand it was how my ancestors could commutate with their champions. I want to try and use it to reach out to this creature's mind. If I can befriend it, perhaps we will have an ally in fighting the Master."

"I really don't think that's a good idea." Clara said. "From what the Doctor has told me, Daleks are not known for allying themselves with anyone, mainly because their go-to solution for any problem is "kill anything that isn't Dalek"."

"I understand. But I must still try. If the Daleks continue to block our paths then we will never reach the Master before time runs out. If we can at least get them to leave us alone, then we may yet succeed."

Link looked over to Clara and Midna. Both women showed that they also were unsure of Zelda's plan. It made sense, yes, but they knew little about the creature beyond that it wants all of them dead and that bit of information made this idea less than promising.

"Just be careful." Link said as he let go.

Zelda nodded to him and turned back to the Dalek. She placed her hand on the creature and closed her eyes.

She fell deeper and deeper into the Dalek's mind. Its defenses lowered as she disguised her presence as a warm, happy thought, one a mind would easily open up to.

The Doctor soon returned. "The Daleks have still got most of the castle surrounded, but I did notice a courtyard that seemed empty, so they may not have spread there yet, so we sho-what is she doing?"

"She's trying to telepathically connect with the Dalek in order to try and get them to leave us alone." Link explained.

The Doctor went wide-eyed and quickly rushed over to her.

"Zelda, you have to break the connection now!"

Zelda's head suddenly snapped back as she let out an agonizing scream, causing the others to come to her aid as well.

She removed her hand from the Dalek and fell to the floor, clutching her head as she spasmed violently.

"There's so much hate! Anger! It keeps going, why won't it stop?!" Zelda cried out.

"The Daleks have a shared intelligence network called the Pathweb! What you are connecting to isn't just one Dalek but all of them! You need to break the connect-urk!" The Doctor exclaimed when Zelda suddenly grabbed him by the neck with both hands.

"EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR! EXTERMINATE!" Zelda cried out as she started to squeeze. Her face in complete rage, tears rolling down her face as she did her best to resist.

Link and Clara both grabbed an arm and tried to pull her off him, but she wouldn't budge ("She's a lot stronger than she looks!" The Doctor somehow managed to get out).

Zelda's grip got tighter as the Doctor's eyes started to roll back. Link and Clara's desperation grew, as nothing they did could stop Zelda. Link feared if they didn't do something drastic soon she'd kill him. His mind raced.

…And then Midna sucker-punched Zelda as hard as she possibly could, knocking her out cold.

The three looked at each other and Zelda while the Doctor gasped for air. Midna scratched her head in embarrassment.

"I…uh…thought my magic would have been too lethal to stop her."

The Doctor coughed as he stabilized his breath. "Yes (cough)…thank you for that Midna (cough). Now then, the next time you lot feel the need to connect your minds with a genocidal monstrosity from another dimension, please run it by me first to get a second opinion (cough). Ok?"

Guiltily agreeing, Link picked up Zelda and carried her bridal style as they all walked on in rather awkward silence. Thankfully Zelda regained consciousness shortly after.

"Hey, Princess, you all right there?" Midna asked.

Zelda was a bit slow to answer. "Yeah…I (ow)…uh…why…why does my face hurt?"

Midna turned a bit reddish. "You, uh, went kinda nuts and tried to kill the Doctor so I had to punch you…really hard….sorry."

Regain her memories of the last few minutes, Zelda said "No, it's alright. I acted foolishly and you prevented others from suffering from my actions. It is I who should apologize to you, Doctor."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I've had plenty of friends try to kill me at some point or another. Always gets worked out in the end (except when I broke Donna's handbag. That took a bit longer)."

Zelda signaled Link that he could put her down. When she got to her feet she felt the swelling of her eye. "Well, I came here this day to battle, so it's not like I wasn't expecting injury today."

"I wasn't expecting the Hylian mind-meld. Today has one surprise after another." The Doctor said, sounding a bit more excited about it than he probably meant to.

"You still feeling any problems from that by the way?" Clara asked her.

"No. I don't think so anyway." Zelda said, clutching her pounding forehead. "I can still feel the Dalek Pathweb around us, but I feel no desire to connect to it again."

"Well if you start growing any metallic eyestalks, let us know." The Doctor said.

Zelda stopped in her tracks. "That can happen?!"

"Well it has happened once or twice, so just give us warning if you start feeling exterminatey." He responded.

Clara then wacked the Doctor on the head with her bag for his bedside manner, making Zelda feel slightly better.

…

The party moved quietly as they could, thankfully meeting little opposition along the way. This was due mainly to the Sonic Screwdriver allowing them to unlock passageways that the enemies had no access to.

As another lock hit the ground Link commented to the Doctor "I need to get one of those."

"I'll try and send you on for Christmas. How's that sound?"

"What's Christmas?"

"Oh right."

Finally they came to entrance of the strangely quiet courtyard. Empty, but still vacant, as it was full of vines, plants, statues, and broken columns.

As the party made their way quietly through the courtyard Link noted to himself that this section must have been pulled from the Doctor's world, as the décor, statues, and foliage was unfamiliar to the Hylian knight. As they kept moving forward Link felt began to feel unease caused by the statues, as the strange feeling of being watched was overtaking him. Why his thoughts of paranoia immediately jumped to the statues instead of the Master, Link couldn't say.

"Doctor, why does your world make their statues so unnerving?" Link asked.

"Link, you've fought giant monsters and a statue is scaring you?" Midna pointed out.

"What makes you think they're from my universe?" The Doctor asked, still focusing on leading the way.

"Well they don't have the right ears or body types to be Hylian or Twili, so I'm just assume they're meant to look human." Link explained.

"Well I suppose the Master could have sucked up a museum or something too from Earth." The Doctor said barely paying attention.

"Well your sculptors do eerily good work. They're so lifelike I keep feeling like we're being watched."

That's when the Doctor stopped dead in his tracks, causing the other members of the crammed-in party to tumble into each other. He looked around quickly in every direction, slowly showing that he had come to a sudden terrible realization.

"Oh…this just got a lot worse."

The others were confused. "Doctor, what is it?" Zelda asked.

"Everyone! Stand back-to-back, now!" He said hurriedly.

"Why?" Midna asked.

"Now!"

The five gathered quickly, standing back-to-back, leaving no room between them.

"No matter what you do, do not blink and do not look away from the statues!"

"Doctor, what's going on? What are they?" Link asked, as out of the corner of his eye he could have sworn he saw one of the statues move its head.

"I said don't look away!" The Doctor said, turning Link back to his respective direction. "These aren't statues, they're Weeping Angels!"

These words meant little to Link, Midna, and Zelda, though Clara remembered the Doctor telling her about these creatures before.

"Why are they here?!" She asked him, making sure not to look away from the statues she faced.

"They must have been attracted to all the energy being given off by the portals. Such big holes in time and space, how could they resist?"

"Could somebody explain what the hell a Weeping Angel is?" Midna said, only following the Doctor's orders because of how spooked he and Clara were.

"The Weeping Angels are predators from our universe. The ultimate predators." The doctor explained. "Quantum-locked statues when you see them, lightning fast when you don't.

"Predators?" Zelda focused on. "Predators of what specifically?"

"Everyone. They feed on time energy, which every living creature has. They just have to touch you and they'll send you back in time enough to point where they can feed on your time energy."

"That sounds bad." Link commented.

"Oh it gets worse." The Doctor said.

"Of course it does."

"You see, the Angels are bad enough on their own, but now they and their prey are in a pocket universe comprised three different universes, two of which's space-time laws are quite different from what they're usually working with. So instead of sending you back through a great big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff they're sending you back through three big balls of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff barely existing simultaneously, which is basically the equivalent of a space-time buzz-saw."

They got the idea.

"Least it explains why there were no Daleks here. They wouldn't have registered the Angels until it was too late."

"I'm not going to lose sleep over them." Midna said.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Now, we can still easily make it out of this, we just have to work together. Just keep walking until we get out of here. We've got enough eyes so that they can't surprise us. Just don't separate and don't blink."

They all understood and began to slowly make their way through the courtyard, with the Doctor leading the way and Link, with his sword and shield out, taking up the rear.

The occasional eyelid had to close of course, and every time had to shut their eyes for just a second, they'd open them to find a few more of the Angels that had advanced upon them. Thankfully the peripheral vision of the other members was just enough to keep the Angels from advancing too far.

As they continued to walk, Midna asked "Link, you wouldn't happen to still have that crusher ball, would you?"

Link understood she was just trying to lighten the mood and was quite grateful for it. "No, sorry. Afraid my pockets aren't as big as they once were."

"How you people survive without shadow storage, I'll never know." She kid him.

The Doctor got in on it a little too. "Ah, don't worry about it. In my experience trying to smash them just makes them angry."

"Well, we certainly wouldn't want to make the creatures that exist only to kill us to get upset, now would we?" Clara asked rhetorically.

"Yes, I imagine they'd consider it quite rude." Zelda said, nearly causing everyone to laugh. In a high stress environment, even the smallest bit of lightness is appreciated.

After a few more minutes the Doctor finally said "We're almost out." Causing everyone to breathe a bit easier. "Just a little bit further. Once we get past those doors, we should be able to-"

"EXTERMINATE!"

"OH COME ON!" The Doctor yelled as Link's shield intercepted the incoming blast.

For where the party had entered the courtyard emerged several Daleks, each moving towards the group, oblivious to the danger that surrounded them.

As Link's shield continued to take hits, Clara asked the Doctor "How did they find us?!"

"I don't think they were looking for us." He said, trying to use his sonic to weaken some of the Daleks' firepower while simultaneously keeping watch on the Angels in front of him. "They probably came here to investigate whatever it was that took out the units they set here!"

"Think they'll focus on the Angels if we tell them it was them?"

"EXTERMINATE THE DOCTOR!"

"I don't think it'll make much difference."

Midna tried to fight from behind Link but the Daleks' hides were too thick for her magic to break through. Clara and Zelda had little they could do as well, as arrows certainly were not enough to harm the metallic monsters. The best they could do was to continue to keep watch on the Angels, but even then the blinding lights of the Daleks' beams allowed them to continue to advance. The Daleks paid little attention to them, as they were more focused on the being who are living as opposed to the ones that are only sometimes living.

As the assault continued and desperation grew, Link called out to Midna. "Midna! In my satchel! The Clawshots!"

Midna reached into his satchel and pulled them both out, though unsure what he wanted her to do with them.

From behind the shield Link quick nudged his head to point high behind him. Midna looked in the direction Link had pointed towards. Above the doors the party had been heading towards there was a stained glass window, and though she could barely make it out, Midna saw the large chandelier behind it.

"Good thinking, Link!" She exclaimed. Pointing towards the window she fired the first Clawshot and shattered it. The path now clear she fired again, the Clawshot latching onto the chandelier.

"Zelda! Clara! Grab onto the Doctor! Doctor, take this!" She ordered them as she handed the Doctor the Clawshot.

As the two women clung to him, the Doctor asked "Midna, are you sure this will WOOOORRRRRRRRRKKKKKK!" He exclaimed as he and the girl were quickly pulled upwards through the broken window. Even the Daleks had to look up in befuddlement of what just happened.

Midna's logic: if it can support Link and the iron boots, then it can handle those three lightweights.

Midna fired the second Clawshot and latched onto the chandelier. "Ready?" She asked Link as she grabbed onto him.

Link nodded.

Midna activated the Clawshot and the two shot upwards towards the window.

…But they did not make it to the window, as one of the Daleks shot and broke the chain, causing them to start falling.

As the two watched each other fall it was like the world was in slow motion. And it was only because of that and adrenaline that Link managed what he did next.

He grabbed Midna by the arm in mid-fall and with his remaining strength, managed to toss her up just enough so that the others could catch her and pull her through the window.

"Link!" She cried out as she watched his body hit the ground hard. He was not dead, though the shock of the fall certainly didn't do him any good.

Unable to get up, the best Link could do was to curl up behind his shield as half the Daleks fired upon him. The other half focused on the window, forcing the others to seek shelter on the upper floor.

"We can't just leave him!" Midna protested.

"We're not!" The Doctor said as he tried to find a way for them back downstairs.

…

Link cowered behind his shield, no other options available to him. The fall seemed to have broken his leg and he couldn't stand. The Master Sword was held tightly in his hand but the Daleks were too far away for him to use it. They kept firing on him, like he was a stain they wanted removed, knowing he'd give out eventually. The strain of holding back the Daleks' firepower was too much and his arms would give out any minute.

And then there were the Angels. The ones behind him were of no concern for the Daleks could see them and would never blink. But Link could see them slowly approaching from the sides and even from behind the Daleks. The Doctor was right, they were fast, as they moved several feet forward in the split-seconds Link had to use the look between them all. The Daleks still paid no attention to them, their focus on the knight they had pinned down. And though they were unaware of it, if they didn't get him, the Angels would. Link couldn't fight them all.

But perhaps he could still beat them. At least one of them.

It took Link a moment to work up the nerve for what he was going to do. What he had to do.

_"I'm sorry, Midna."_

Link clamped his eyes shut.

…

The group made their way downstairs back to the doors that would have lead them out of the courtyard. Doors which they found by following the loud noise caused by the Dalek firepower. So loud it was in fact that they couldn't help but notice when it abruptly ended.

Midna burst open the doors, not thinking or caring about the consequences.

And on the other side she found only Weeping Angels, several huddled around the empty spaces that used to contain their prey.

"LINK!"

…

**It would seem Doctor Who rules apply even in a crossover fanfiction, namely that every character you love dies tragically.**

…**Ha.**


	12. To know, to feel, to understand…

**Part 12: To know, to feel, to understand…**

Midna fell to her knees, unable to bear the weight of her grief.

Clara and Zelda tried to go comfort her but The Doctor told them to just keep watch on the Angels. He remembered a moment from his past terribly similar to this, when his mind forgot about the danger in front of him and fell into grief. River had known that he needed that moment to grieve and that's why she didn't do anything. She didn't talk, didn't try to move him, and didn't try to comfort him at the time. Because she knew he needed that moment. So she just kept watch. He would always be grateful to her for that.

And now, regretfully, it was his turn to do the same for another, as Midna stayed on her knees sobbing quietly. He was the only one close enough to hear what she was saying.

"Link, I was lying…please…please come back…"

The moment passed and the Doctor knew that they had to keep moving. That she had to move on like he did.

But Midna was not the Doctor, as she soon showed.

Midna got to her feet and allowed pure rage to slowly overtake her face. Her markings began to glow, as did the parts of the courtyard that were of the Twilight Palace.

She attacked without thinking, as running only on rage was the reason why she was able to do it. She conjured forth the massive Hand of Doom (similar to what Zant had used) and struck, well, everything pretty much. She swatted the Angels around the room, knocking them into the walls, and repeatedly smashed the floor, attacking every last one she could see and more. Anyone who blinked during this time would hear the unique sound of Angel screams.

The Hand disappeared, but Midna was not finished yet, as her rage guided her movements further. At the tips of her fingers she gathered Twilight energy. More and more until it formed into a massive ball. In a roar she threw it down upon the creatures.

Whether it killed them or not was unclear, though they certainly wouldn't be messing with the party again either way. The massive explosion took out a good chunk of the courtyard. Whatever wasn't caught in the blast was certainly sent far away by the shockwave.

The smoke cleared to reveal the party free from danger. Exhaustion soon found Midna and she nearly fell to the ground, saved only by Zelda, who then hugged her friend, knowing she'd need something to hang onto after her loss.

Clara, after helping the Doctor back to his feet, was the first to address the elephant in the room.

"How…how did she do that?"

Zelda answered her, still holding onto her friend. "The Fused Shadow was the power of Midna's ancestors. The power of Twilight is hers by birthright. Though the Master may have used Ganondorf's power to steal it, it would seem Midna's…extreme emotion…instinctively found her a way to access it again."

"If her power's back, does that mean she can reverse the portals?"

Midna shook her head, her anger and sorrow pushed down a bit. "I have only some of my real power back. I can feel the Master still tugging away on the rest of it."

Midna looked over to the now demolished spot that had once held Link. "My home, my power, my people, and now Link…"

The Doctor walked over to the Twilight Princess and placed his hand on her shoulder, saying the words that reflected her heart. That had once reflected his.

"No more."

Midna nodded. "No more."

She returned to her feet and dried her eyes. "We should get moving."

The Doctor agreed and let Midna take lead the way, knowing that she wouldn't want to face her friends quite yet.

Zelda and Clara trailed slightly behind the other two. After a few moments, Zelda quietly asked her "Clara, how long have you been with the Doctor?"

She had to think about that for a moment. "I think it's been a bit less than a year to be honest. But in a way I've known him his entire life, not that I remember any of it." Zelda looked at her questionably. "It's a long story involving time travel, multiple me's, and a disembodied intelligence that really does not like the Doctor."

Given all the weirdness that had happened in the past few days Zelda decided to roll with it. "Then you probably can answer my next question: what sort of life has he led to make him who he is?"

"What do you mean?"

"When we first met he said he was a traveler. Yet his eyes are more scarred than those of any traveler I've ever seen." Zelda explained. "He hides his pain. Even the destruction of his box only cracked him open very slightly before he pushed it back down. He hasn't even mentioned the box since we escaped the Master, has he?"

Clara said nothing, having realized the same thing a while ago.

"But he still shows his pain through his understanding of other's pain." Zelda said. "Midna has lost so many of her people to the Master and his monsters. A pain unimaginable to many and yet, he understands as only one who has lost so many can. And when she lost Link, his were the eyes of one whom had shed the same tears. So I ask you again: what sort of life has the Doctor lived that it could have inflicted so much pain to him in one lifetime?"

Clara took a moment to answer back. "The Doctor never likes to talk about his past, well, anything significant from his past anyway. He's a time traveler, so lots of moving around for him, and lots of things he's made it clear he can't change, no matter how much he wants to."

"One of my past lives used the Ocarina of Time to change her past so our present could exist." Zelda said. "And several times since I gained the memories of all those other Zeldas…I thought about all that I might be able to change the same way."

"In our universe at least, it would cause a paradox that would wipe out all of time and space. If it's a fixed point anyway. Something that you know happens."

"Still, the temptation…"

Clara was silent for a bit. "When I first met the Doctor's wife, she had been dead for a long time. And she died when the Doctor first met her."

Zelda was confused. "Then how did-"

"They kept meeting out of order. So when she first met him, he knew when, where, and how she was going to die. And he could never tell her…because he was there. Because he saw it happen and knew it couldn't be changed."

"Oh Gods." Zelda said unconsciously placing her hand to her mouth.

"I only really have that point of reference to give. I think there were others but he never talks about them." Clara continued. "But I think the reason why the Doctor is able to sympathize with Midna is because he knows not only what it's like to be unable to save those you care about, but also know that you're going to be unable to save them."

Zelda looked on silently as she watched Midna and the Doctor still leading the way towards their destination.

Zelda's thoughts soon turned to Link. _"No one wants to say it…how pointless it is to go on without you…my arrows are nowhere near as effective as the Master Sword…without you, our deaths are nearly assured. But if we were to just turn back, all the lives lost to the Master will have been in vain, especially yours…_

_ "My friends who have lost so much refuse to cut their losses because they have more to lose…and they refuse to let that happen ever again…even if it costs them what it did you…_

_ "Rest well, great hero. May we meet again in the next life."_

…

It was the Doctor who spotted them first out of the corner of his eye. He quickly directed everyone's attention behind them, as several massive black monsters ran on all fours towards them. Midna recognized them quite well.

"Shadow Beasts!"

The party was prepared to take a stand but Midna quickly pulled them away from that idea. "Do not fight them!" She cried. "Shadow Beasts are creatures that have been corrupted by Ganon's powers! They can't control themselves!"

With the option of fight taken away, the party went with the option of flight and ran as fast as they could away from the Beasts. The animalistic movements of the Beasts allowed them to chase after them at great speed.

As the creatures were catching up, Clara yelled to Midna "You've encountered these things before, right? How'd you stop them last time?!"

Still running, Midna yelled back "When Link and I first returned to the Twilight Realm we discovered that the Sol could revert the Shadow Beasts back if they weren't too far gone. But we no longer have those, nor the Master Sword which the Sol infused its power to!"

Before another question could be asked one of the Shadow Beasts lunged forward and tackled Clara.

"Clara!" The Doctor yelled as he stopped as soon as he heard her scream.

The Beast raised its hand, preparing to maim the schoolteacher, when Midna ran up to the creature and yelled "STOP!"

To everyone's surprise, including the creature's own, it did stop. When the moment of confusion passed the Beast attempted to attack her, but again Midna yelled at it. "I said stop!"

And again, the Beast halted, with the other Beasts also halting their movements, unsure of why they felt the need to stop.

Everyone breathed quite hard, the tension in the air was suffocating. Midna took a deep breath. "I am your queen and you shall listen to me. Now get off her!"

Hesitantly, the Beast slowly got off of Clara. Clara got back up and made her way back to her party, still in shock over the death she just escaped.

All eyes were on Midna as she continued talking to the Beasts. "I am the ruler of Twilight. Though a monster of a man has stolen power from me and used it to turn you into this, you still instinctively know who I am. What my birthright is. You know that I am your queen."

The Shadow Beasts quietly growled, though not in a threatening manner. One allowed Midna to gently place her finger on its forehead, calming it further.

"I…we…can save you. We can turn you back. Once we break the monster's hold on our worlds, you will return to how you once were. But we need your help. Will you aid us? Will you follow your queen?"

The one Midna had touched growled its support, the others soon following suit.

The others let out the breath they'd not been aware they'd been holding in. Midna walked up to Clara. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah…" Clara said, still a little shaken. "How…how'd you know that'd work?"

Midna looked back at the Shadow Beasts, now eager to follow the party. "I didn't." She said. "Back when Zant first took my powers from me I tried to talk these creatures down and failed. Back then…there was no way Link and I could save them. All we could do to stop them was…put them down. This time…I only hoped that the little bit of power I have now would be enough so that…_that_…wouldn't be the case again."

The Doctor, whom had been admiring the unique creatures, said "I'm always happy to make new friends, but even I have to wonder about the wiseness of bring these creatures to the location of a man who'll kill them as soon as he sees they're not under his control anymore."

"It is not wise." Midna said. "That is why I won't allow them to fight with us. But their senses are keen enough to guide us safely through the palace until we get to the throne room. This place is more than just my palace now and I'd prefer to find a path that lacks Bulblins and Daleks…and…Angels."

Zelda placed her hand gently on her friend's shoulder. Midna cast aside her moment of weakness and turned back to the Shadow Beasts, gently touching the forehead again.

"Please, guide us."

The Shadow Beasts growled in understanding and two lead the way for them, with the rest tailing behind to guard the rear.

…

Despite their size the Beasts were actually quite silent on their feet, as they quickly guided the party through the twists and turns of the makeshift castle without drawing any attention to them. Several times the party saw the shadows of other creatures in the castle that just barely missed them

After many minutes of being guided, the Beasts finally led them to a set of doors Midna recognized as the entrance of the Twilight Palace throne room.

_"This is it."_

Zelda was already prepped, summoning her Light Bow for battle. The Doctor held out his sonic and Clara had her bow readied. Signaling for the Shadow Beasts to stay back, Midna took a deep breath and slowly opened the doors.

It was darker than usual inside the large room. She suspected the Master was deliberately dimming the symbols on the walls that lit up the room. But Midna was used to the darkness and her eyes would adjust quickly.

And in that adjustment Midna was quick to notice a small red circle lighting up at the end of the room. As her eyes kept adjusting she began to see the body around the circle, though she could not quite make it out, as its coloring blended it into the wall.

"What in the world-?" Midna began to say when one of the Shadow Beasts tackled her out of the way of the beam that was about to hit her. The other entered the room as well, Zelda firing off one of her arrows toward the circle. It did not harm the creature, but it did illuminate the room enough to reveal what it was.

The red circle was the eye of a Dalek, though one much different from any seen before. Along with its now red eye the Dalek's armor was pitch black, with light blue symbols etching their way all across the body. Its voice was also different, as it was much lower and darker than before.

"EXTERMINATE." It bellowed as the red lights atop its dome lit up and it fired again.

The party was quick to dodge and the Beast that had saved Midna lunged at the Shadow Dalek, ignoring her cries of protest. It slashed at the creature but could not penetrate its armor and was soon shot dead.

Not wanting any more to share the same fate Midna yelled at the other Shadow Beasts to flee. But like the first, they ignored her, their loyalty to their queen coming second to protecting her life.

The remaining Shadow Beasts all swarmed to attack the Dalek, hoping their numbers would be enough to win the battle. But before they reached their target the Dalek let out an earsplitting screech, which paralyzed all in the room momentarily.

The screech was soon recognized as a howl, as a Twilight Portal opened up overhead and dropped two more Shadow Daleks into the fray before closing.

"EXTERMINATE." They all cried.

Again Midna watched helplessly as her people were gunned down before her.

When the last Beast fell the Shadow Daleks turned their attention to the party. The party tried everything they could, but no weapons or magic could penetrate the metal hides. Even the Doctor found himself unsure of what to say. The doors slammed shut on them. They could not escape.

The Daleks took aim. And…

The snap of fingers echoed throughout the room and the Daleks lowered their weapons. As the room began to illuminate, the Daleks turned their heads towards the throne, the party doing the same.

The man sitting on the throne made no attempts to hide his smugness.

"Well, that was entertaining." The Master said.

**Seriously, if anyone ever draws a picture of a Shadow Dalek, I would love to see it.**


	13. A man divided

**Part 13: A man divided**

While the rest of the room remained still, Midna had no hesitation in her actions. With every ounce of concentration and strength she could muster, she gather the Twilight energy into the largest sphere she could, ready to put an end to this killer once and for all.

But then a single Hand of Doom fell from the ceiling, flattening her into the floor, the energy dissipating without her. Though she did not die her wounds reopened and she coughed up a considerable amount of blood.

"Ah Midna." The Master said as he got up from the chair and walked towards the heroes. "All that bravado, all that eagerness to tear me limb from limb for what I've done to you…and you're just an ant under my palm after all."

He condescendingly patted her on the head. Midna tried to get up. To fight. To do something! But she was pinned under the massive hand and couldn't move. As she continued to bleed out her anger streaked tears down her face, cursing her helplessness.

"Gods damn it…GODS DAMN IT!"

The Master moved on to Zelda, whose bow was locked onto him. He then positioned himself directly in front of the arrow.

"Go ahead. Do it." He dared her. She didn't look away from him. "You don't have the courage to try. Just the wisdom to know it won't succeed."

Her fingers trembled and sweat poured down her face. She saw no reason why it wouldn't work. But his eyes…they told her he wasn't bluffing. She had to try, but her fear prevented her. In the end, his presence overpowered her and she lowered her bow.

"It is as you said: I have only the wisdom." Zelda said. "But it is enough wisdom to know that you've lost anyway."

"Oh?" The Master questioned.

"Link is gone. Forever." She stated defiantly. "In his sacrifice he has beaten you. The completed Triforce will never be yours."

The Master's reaction was not of anger at the news, but of chuckling. He then grabbed Zelda by the face and pulled her close.

"Do I look like someone who needs the completed Triforce to be all-powerful?" He said before tossing her to the ground. "The boy is dead and finally out of my way. So thank you for this very good news."

Everyone was, of course, confused. "But-but you were going on and on before about how much you were willing to risk everything to get it." Clara said. "This realm you've made here is proof of that. Why are you so disinterested now?"

"Because we're not talking to the Master now, are we?" The Doctor announced, walking up to their enemy. "I suspected something was up when we first saw the Weeping Angels. There's no way the Master would've left those thing roaming around something he didn't want others to have. So that means that it must have been you allowing it."

The smirk across the enemy's face grew slightly larger.

"Mr. Ganondorf, I presume?" The Doctor asked.

Zelda's eyes grew wide, as she looked at the man still smirking.

"The Master's memory serves me well. You are indeed a very clever man, Doctor."

Zelda shook her head, trying to somehow wish this reality away. She could barely speak. "H-how?"

"The Tardis did hurt the Master quite a lot after all, didn't it?" The Doctor asked. "So much so that when he weakened himself further by opening up all these portals, he wasn't strong enough to suppress you any more, was he?"

Ganondorf nodded smugly. "He can call himself all the titles he wishes. Master or Time Lord, no one controls me."

"Oh, do quit hyping yourself." He then said, slightly with an accent.

"…What was that?" Clara asked.

"That, Clara," The Doctor said. "Is two great egotists being forced to share one body because they both pooled their best resources into it and are too stubborn to give it up. Hello Master, how you feeling?"

"Rather stuffy at the moment." Ganondorf said, making it clear that it was the Master who was talking this time. "There's a bit too much "git" in here for my taste."

"Well perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if you would stop talking!" Now said the real Ganondorf.

"Well perhaps I wouldn't be complaining so much if you had just followed my plan!" The Master said.

"Do you think I'd ever let someone like you to get so close to unlimited power? To have a chance to steal the Triforce from me?" Ganondorf asked.

"It'd be literally infinitely better than what we've got now, you fool!" The Master said.

"This is weird, right?" Clara whispered to the Doctor as they watched their enemy argue with himself.

"No, the weird part is that this wouldn't even be my second time seeing something like this." The Doctor whispered back.

"You're the fool!" Ganondorf continued to shout at the Master. "For letting the boy live when you've had every chance to end him!"

"He was the key to all this, you idiot!" The Master shouted back. "We needed him and the Princess to complete the Triforce, but because you let the Angels run around, we'll never get it! The Triforce is far more important than your grudge!"

"Any other situation I'd have agreed with you." Ganondorf pointed out. "No one wanted the Triforce more than I. But you unlocked my memories of my past lives. You and I have both seen what happens. I rise to power and that boy stands in my way and strikes me down. Once? It happens. Twice? Coincidence. But every single time in every one of my reincarnations? No. I won't be blindsided again. I'll learn from my mistakes, even if you fail to acknowledge them."

"You're still a fool."

"Better the live fool than the gambler killed by his own lust. Again." Ganondorf added. "With one stroke, I've ended the line of the Hero of Hyrule, and all that's left is you lot."

Ganondorf waved his hand and the Hand of Doom pinning down Midna vanished. She sucked in air sharply to regain what the hand had slowly been pushing out of her. Zelda rushed to her aid, tearing off part of her dress to attempt to reclose her wounds.

"That's a rather pointless gesture, Princess, considering you're about to be dead in a minute." Ganondorf pointed out. He signaled the Daleks to take aim. "You like it, Doctor? The Daleks were so interesting on their own that the Master wanted to see what would happen if we exposed them to a little shadow. Just like those dogs they killed when you got here."

Still lying on the floor as Zelda patched her up, Midna looked over to the lifeless husks of the Shadow Beasts and glared back at Ganondorf.

"Weaponry from worlds unseen, magics from the darkest depths of Twilight, and hatred for all things so great it rivals my own. What better troops could I ask to have at my beck and call when I conquer your worlds?" Ganondorf asked.

"Enjoy your troops while you still can." The Doctor warned him.

"Do tell, Doctor."

"The Daleks aren't soldiers, they're destroyers. Whatever kingdom you're hoping to establish, they'll burn it to the ground long before you can stake your claim. And then I can't imagine what they'll do to you. After all, you're no Dalek and that's the one thing that keeps them from destroying each other half the time."

"You let us worry about that." Ganondorf said.

"While I don't like sharing with this guy, I'm in no hurry to burn to death again, so I'll lend him a hand on this one." The Master commented to the Doctor.

"Don't I feel special?" Ganondorf said, rolling their shared eyes.

Ganondorf started walking back to his throne to clear the firing range when he heard Zelda. "You still won't win."

He turned back to them. "What was that?"

"You still won't win." She repeated, causing Ganondorf to reapproach her. "You want power? You want control? Fight all you want, we will give you none. For everything you have taken from us: our homes, our families, our loved ones, we will never stop fighting you. You and I both know your history, Ganondorf, and if there is one thing that has been made clear, it is that you do not win."

Zelda looked him dead in the eye. "Hyrule and the Twilight Realm stand united. We will never bow to you again."

Ganondorf glared at the Princess. The Doctor then caught his attention.

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not the only one who likes to stick his nose into other people's business." The Doctor said. "Get rid of us if you want, but I also learn from history, and I know for almost a fact that there are always going to be people out there to stop people like you."

The darkness that shaded Ganondorf's face would lead any to believe he was angry over this final show of wills. Until he started laughing. Loudly.

"YOU STILL DON'T GET IT, DO YOU?!" Ganondorf said maniacally, raising his hand high.

Upon his command the ceiling fell away, revealing the raging sky and the million Shadow Daleks inhabiting it, awaiting their Lord's command. Even the Doctor had to take a step back.

Ganondorf continued laughing. "Thousands upon thousands of the most dangerous creatures known to man! So dangerous in fact, that their own universe cracked open time and space itself to be rid of them! Creatures that are now my greatest army! Bring on your armies! Bring on your last hopes and final heroes! They won't survive! Nothing will! If they still cling to hope, then my portals will continue tearing from their worlds until I take that too. Hyrule will bow! Your worlds will bow! And anyone who thinks otherwise will meet the same fate as the first line of defense!"

He turned to his Shadow Daleks. "My warriors! Do as you are meant to do! Destroy them!"

The party closed their eyes, bracing for their deaths.

…Only to find it had not come when they opened them up again. Ganondorf and the Master were just as confused as they were.

"What are you waiting for?" Ganondorf asked. "Kill the princesses and the Doctor!"

One of the Shadow Daleks turned its dome to look at him. "DOCTOR WHO?"

"…What?!"

"DOCTOR WHO?! WHO IS THE DOCTOR?! EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN!"

Ganondorf looked around in confusion as all the Daleks started asking the same question: Doctor Who?

He clutched his head over what was happening to his army until "Zelda!" The Master pointed out.

Ganondorf looked to the Princess. She was kneeling and seemed like she was almost praying. But the Master had realized what she was really doing.

"She's connected to the Pathweb!"

"What?!"

"She's connected to all the Dalek's minds! She's made them forget about their existence and not recognize it!"

Ganondorf's anger finally flared as he glared at Zelda, whose nose was dripping blood from the strain of maintaining the illusion through so many minds.

The Doctor actually started to laugh a bit. "Now that is a lucky break! Thank you, Princess, I think I can use this!"

"Your arrogance blinds you, Doctor!" Ganondorf roared as he summoned his sword forth. "You seem to have forgotten that I can still strike you down personally!"

Ganondorf prepared to strike but the Doctor quickly spoke up. "Ah bah bah bah bah! Yes, you can do that, but, there is something about Daleks that you might. MIGHT! Want to know."

Ganondorf knew he should just attack (the Master was telling him to loud enough) but unfortunately for him, the Doctor has ways of getting people to let him talk.

"You see, the thing is, the Daleks are not unquestioning machines. They're hot-blooded, calculating killers with, believe it or not, some logic to their actions. So, when they see you, whom I'm guessing are making them see you as another Dalek, seemingly going nuts and ranting about this Doctor fellow you want them to kill, they're going to wonder if something's wrong with you. So they'll scan the area to see if they can find anything wrong, and with you…ohh, I imagine they'll find something quite of interest."

Before he could say anything Ganondorf heard from behind him "TIME LORD DETECTED!"

"Wha-AAGGGGHHHH!" He shouted as he was then blasted by the Dalek's beam. The Triforce of Power was the only thing that kept him alive.

He was struck again when the Daleks saw he survived, the pain causing him to fall to the ground. He looked up enough to see the Doctor looking down on him.

"Two-hearts: the tell-tale sign of a Time Lord."

Ganondorf's rage compelled him to keep moving as the Daleks continued to assault him ("EXTERMINATE THE TIME LORD!"). He could still use his sword. Still cut off Zelda's head. Still win this. But he looked to his hand to find the sword missing. And soon after discovered it had found its way into Midna's.

Her injuries had left her considerably weakened. She was not strong enough to swing the large blade. But, with all her hate, she was strong enough to jab it into his throat.

As his skeleton burned within him from the Daleks' fire and his throat destroyed to the point where he couldn't even howl in fury, the last of his control broke and the rest of the Shadow Dalek army descended upon him.

The sudden weight of all the freed Dalek minds was too much for Zelda took take anymore and she broke out of her trance, ending the illusion that kept her friends safe.

The Daleks were quick to remember and quick to notice. "THE DOCTOR!"

The Daleks were ready to fire. Ganondorf would have found some contentedness in his death if his last sight was watching his enemies burn. But with his lack of control came Midna's regain, as she opened a Twilight Portal behind the party and warped them away, leaving Ganondorf and the Master alone in the midst of their ultimate army.

…

The portal dropped them out on the outskirts of the castle. When the portal closed Clara quickly rushed over to the Princesses. Both of whom were still bleeding quite badly.

"No! Help Midna first!" Zelda insisted, clutching her head. "I-I'll be f-fine. I just…I just need to rest my head."

Clara did not protest and focused on Midna. Though badly wounded, a small smile stayed on the Twilight Princess's face.

The Doctor helped Zelda through her pain. "That was a very rash, stupid, and foolish thing for you to do, Princess, and I'm so very proud of you for it."

Zelda smiled weakly at the man. "I acted out of panic when I felt their presence. I suppose I figured if we were to die anyway, having my mind overwhelmed by the hive mind again was a fairly inconsequential risk."

"So…going to guess none of that was an actual plan then?" Clara said.

"Nope! Improvised." The Doctor said gleefully. "Interestingly enough the plans I make up on the spot have about the same success rate as the plans I actually plan, so even I rarely can tell the difference."

Everyone chuckled slightly. "But it worked." Midna said weakly. "We won. I can feel control of the Twilight Realm slowly returning to me. Just a little bit longer…and I can reverse the portals."

The party sat and relaxed, their mission accomplished and their worlds soon saved.

Until great pain struck Zelda's mind.

"GGAAAHHH!"

The Doctor got back up and hurried to her. "Zelda, what's wrong?"

"It's the Daleks." She said. "I can feel them. They're…dying…"

"Wha-how?!" Midna asked. "There's no way Ganondorf could be fighting them off on his own!"

"I-I don't know! I can just feel them all-all-"

"Doctor, look at the castle!" Clara pointed.

The Doctor looked over and could see, from the exposed rooftop, golden energy slowly leaking out.

"That's-that's Time Lord Regeneration energy!"

The energy leaking out soon erupted into blinding light exploding from the castle and a raging roar was felt. "DOOCCTOOR!"

The Doctor grabbed Midna and lifted her up. "Clara, get Zelda to her feet, we need to move now!"

Seeing the Doctor's urgency Clara asked no questions and did not hesitate to follow his orders. She grabbed Zelda and they all tried to make a break for it.

But it was too late for running.

A new portal opened up above them and dropped their enemy into their path.

It stood like a man, though that was one of the few things about it that could be described as human. The massive beast stood several heads higher than the heroes with it black fur etching it out from its surroundings. Its deep red mane surrounded the horrible boar-like face of their resurrected enemy.

It pointed its trident skywards and roared from the depths of its black heart, declaring its dominion over the land.


	14. Horror Reborn

**Part 14: Horror Reborn**

Zelda stared in horror at the monster, completely frozen in her fear. Her past lives had known the monstrous forms of Ganon before, but this…this was far worse than anything she could remember.

The monster looked at its new hands. "Do you like it?" It asked, its voice echoing. "I can't tell who is more impressed with this form, Ganon or the Master? I can't even tell which it is that I am right now. Does it matter? No… Not in this moment anyway. In this moment, both share the same thought. Rage. Revenge. Retribution. I am their desire. I am Master Ganon! I am the ruler! The conqueror! And you, are my slaughter!"

The monster lunged its trident forward at them and the party quickly dispersed to avoid the strike, but the sheer power of the impact on the ground sent them flying.

The Master Ganon walked calmly towards his targets, the ground thundering beneath him. He didn't have to hurry. No one was going to escape him.

He picked the Doctor up by his head in his massive hand. "Time to crush that famous egghead of yours, Doctor."

He started to apply the pressure when his arm was struck by a Light Arrow, causing him to accidentally drop his victim.

Master Ganon turned to see Zelda, firing upon him again and shouting to her friends.

"Flee now! I'll hold him off as long as I can!"

She fired more arrows at the monster as he blocked as many as he could.

"You know, the Princess brings up a good point." He commented. "I've already ended one line today. I'd best get to work on the other."

He advanced on the Princess as she fired arrow after arrow. There was little wisdom guiding her actions now. She just had to keep going until one of them was finished.

Her aim was perfect, as she impaled his hand, forcing him to drop his weapon before he could throw it at her. She hit every vital area she knew of, regardless of whether or not the monster still shared them with the rest of humanity. She hit the knees, the veins, the heart, and on Master Ganon's animal roar, she struck him dead-on between the eyes, causing him to tilt his head back.

…Only for him to tilt it back down a second later, smiling. The arrows soon began to dissipate, as more of the golden energy leaked from his body, healing all the wounds Zelda had caused.

"Wha-what?" She said in disbelief.

"Beginning stages of the regeneration process, my dear." He said picking up his weapon. "My magic aids it a little too, I'll admit. But for the time being, that's not going to work."

Knowing of nothing else she could do, Zelda attempted to fire again, but the Master Ganon struck the ground with his trident, causing her to fall over. And before she could get up to defend herself, he crushed her right arm with his massive hoove.

Her scream of agony echoed throughout the fields.

The Master Ganon stepped off her arm to admire his handiwork. "I don't believe your bow will prove quite as useful anymore."

Zelda could barely cry, the pain was too much for her.

"Now really, Zelda, such as state of dismay is unbecoming of a princess of your caliber." He mocked her as he enjoyed her pain. "Speaking of unbecoming princesses, where is-?"

BOOM! Went the arrow that struck him in the back of the head. He turned in slight annoyance to see Clara and Midna off in the distance. Midna was using what she could of her powers to place Twilight energy on the tips of the arrows, which Clara fired as well as she could at him (she wasn't exactly a great shot, but found it was hard to miss a target so large).

This greatly amused the unharmed monster. "Are you serious?" He laughed. "Magic arrows created by the spirits specially to banish evil weren't enough to hurt me! What could you possibly do with those?"

The next arrow exploded in his crotch.

The impact caused Master Ganon's eyes to go quite wide. "That was lowbrow for a Brit." He cursed.

The two continued their team effort but the Master Ganon blasted flames from his mouth, stretching out wide to intercept them. In the smoke that followed the Master Ganon leapt high through the air and came down like a torpedo. A normal human like Clara could do nothing to evade and was sent tumbling into the rocks.

Midna fared only slightly better. That is, until the Master Ganon caught her in his grasp.

"Do you remember what it felt like to be an imp, Princess? To feel that powerlessness? Well it's going to be far worse for you this time." He breathed at her, the heat from his nostrils like hot ash. "There will be no Fused Shadow this time. No little farm boy you can send on a quest. You will be alone and helpless. I must kill Zelda because her line is a threat to me, but you…? I think I would enjoy having a pet for a while."

Midna spat in his face.

"Heh. I can see why the Hero wanted you so badly."

He dropped Midna to the ground and turned his attention to Zelda, still laying where he left her, clutching her arm. He raised his trident, gathering Twilight energy into a massive ball at the end of its tip.

"Let's see how much of a smear royal blood leaves!"

He was about to launch the energy ball when a small projectile struck the side of it. He looked over to the direction it had come from. There was Clara, barely kneeling, but clenching her bow determinedly. She had fired the last of the arrows Midna had enchanted.

Before Master Ganon could curse the British again the arrow's small explosion destabilized the ball and it exploded.

The smoke cleared and he coughed out more regeneration energy, slowly brushing himself off as he checked his surroundings. The blast had not been large enough to reach Zelda, as she was untouched. And it seemed he'd taken more of the impact of the blast than anything else, as the earth around him was barely scorched and he could see the bodies of Clara and Midna laying on the ground, still breathing.

"You're still alive?!" He asked, more amazed than angry. "My God, what does it take to kill you people, the apocalypse? Well, actually, with my portals still going, we may still have time for that."

The monster did a quick headcount. "Well, the women are down, which just leaves you, doesn't it?" He said as he turned behind him, to face the raggedy man covered in dirt and soot, whose face showed determination in the face of his last stand.

The Master Ganon walked forwards to him. "Yes, just down to you now, Doctor. All those clever ideas you've had, all the lucky breaks you've caught, I honestly am wondering what you'll do next. Will you find a way to strike me down by assembling a cabinet at me?"

"Hey now, don't mock the sonic." The Doctor said. "I find the right frequency I could give you one doozy of a headache."

"And then what?"

"And then I'll bring you down."

The Master Ganon smirked. "Do share how."

The Doctor stared dead-on with the massive beast. "You have the Master's memories. You know what I'm capable of."

"Ah yes, even the Ganon half of me is impressed by the destruction you've caused. But tell me, Madman with a box, where is your box now? Tell me, Man of the Universe, what will you do now that you are without allies and meat shields? You may be the Oncoming Storm, Doctor, but every storm must eventually come to an end."

The Doctor sweat, but did not flinch. "Yes, but this is one of those days where it can't end yet. And I can't let it."

"You have a plan then?"

"Nope. Still hoping something'll come to me."

"You a man of faith now, Doctor?" He mocked.

The Doctor shook his head. "No. There's just something I have to remind myself of every now and again." He said. "That as much as I feel that the universe may hate me sometimes, it always seems to hate my enemies just a little bit more." The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver. It wasn't made for fighting, but it felt right to make his stand with it.

"…Said the ant to the dinosaur." The Master Ganon said.

"And the ant will survive what the dinosaur won't." The Doctor said.

The two enemies faced each other. Trident in one's hand, screwdriver in the other's. The power of the Master Ganon was great, but the mere memory of the Doctor's past was enough to cause the monster to hold back. The arrogance of two egotists was all that surpassed his fear.

The thunder in the enemies' minds echoed in their ears

Until real noise was heard instead. To the side of the Master Ganon's and the Doctor's field of battle, they turned to see the wind being pushed away from the source of the noise. The noise that awoke the rest of the party and caused them to look with hope. The greatest sound in the universe.

The Whooshing.

The Master Ganon was in shock. "Not…possible…"

The Doctor's grimace turned to a smile. "That's my girl."

The Tardis had returned.


	15. Song of the Tardis

**Part 15: Song of the Tardis**

Time: never

Link was there. Maybe.

…That's really all that can be said about him now. He was somewhere, but wherever it was he couldn't say. It was blank. Too blank for his mind and body to comprehend, so they could not experience it.

Link was just there. Alone. Somewhere. In nothing. His thoughts barely forming.

_"…I can't see…"_

_ "…I can't move…"_

_ "…I can't feel my arms…"_

_ "…I can't feel anything…"_

_ "…Am I dead...?"_

_ "…Where am I…?"_

_ "…Where am I…?"_

_ "…Where am I…?"_

_ "Someone please tell me where I am!"_

_ "…please…"_

There were no answers to Link's thoughts. Were the thoughts even formed to begin with he couldn't even tell.

Link was gone. Link was in nothingness. Link was nothingness.

…But there was a something in the nothingness. The one thing Link could see. Could feel. The barrenness of his thoughts couldn't comprehend it at first, but it was there. It was the only thing that was there.

Link reached out. Or did he? It didn't matter. He just had to reach it.

It was seconds until he grasped it and an eternity was still going until he could reach it. If he had a mind left it would have been very confused.

But he did have a mind! Now anyway. It had only just started and it only had one thought going through it, but it was a mind!

The one thought. It wasn't enough to recognize what he'd grasped, but it was enough to know that it could cause the thought to spread out. All he had to do was…something…

He didn't know what it was. It didn't matter. Link was guided. He did the…something…to what he'd grasped and the thought spread out.

The thought was music, he realized. He was playing music. On an Ocarina. That's what he'd grasped!

More thoughts came to him. Not all made sense yet, but they were there. He just had to keep playing. Play the melody that he now recognized from before. The melody he played until he heard it again: the second melody that followed from before. The one that had saved him.

Link played, the first melody calling the second, until it came. And Link remembered the simple, yet perfect melody, as it played. As it whooshed existence back around him.

…

Link hit the floor of the Tardis. It hurt, which was a good thing. Link could think again.

He slowly got to his feet. "I…I'm Link. I'm in the…Tardis! The Doctor's Tardis! And it's still alive! And I'm alive!"

Link started laughing to himself. It was inconceivable that it happened. That's why it was such a miracle that it did.

Link stared at the Ocarina in his hand. The Ocarina was meant to survive through time as was the Tardis. But the trip through the colliding universes left the damaged Tardis lost. In that vacancy, it heard the sound of something that had healed it before. The tool that could call and create time energy. Being played by someone who also could be healed the same way.

The power of the Ocarina of Time had saved them both from the brink of non-existence.

How did Link know this?

He shouldn't, given that he was a farmer and occasional adventurer and not a chronological theorist. Something was telling him this.

He looked over to the control console. "You saved my life again, didn't you?"

The Tardis answered back, in its own way. Such a way that Link wasn't even sure how he was understanding it (something to do with his forced exposure to the Time Vortex and the Ocarina, it explained).

Link could feel the emptiness outside the door. He felt better to ignore it.

"Are our friends ok?" He asked.

It told him the Doctor and his companions are in trouble.

"How can you tell?"

Because the Doctor is always in trouble.

Link chuckled a bit before saying "We have to go."

The Tardis flipped on its monitor, showing the beast that faced his friends.

"I know it's dangerous, but we can still find a way to beat it."

Of course there is. We just need help.

The Tardis dimmed all its lights until the small swirling pillar of energy on the floor was noticed. It was like the Time Vortex, only far less than the infinity that had torn through Link before. In fact all that Link felt from this energy was…himself?

The Ocarina in hand, Link understood what the Tardis wanted him to do.

"Will they know what they need to do?" he asked.

They will know because you know. Timey-wimey, as he likes to call it.

Trusting in the Tardis, Link threw the Ocarina into the energy.

...

It was found by its previous owner, before he ever obtained it.

…

It was found by the single four-in-one warrior.

…

It was found by the smallest hero.

…

It was found by the boy from the sky.

…

The instant the four heroes of days past touched the Ocarina, the thought entered their head. They didn't know exactly what it meant or why, but they knew they had to play it.

Each played the Ocarina. Each the same song. The song that linked the four separate points in time together, summoning the bluest chariot of all to whisk them away to the single moment they were needed.

The song of the Tardis.

…

Time: now

The Tardis landed in the field outside the patchwork castle, in full view of its master and his massive enemy.

"It-it's not possible! We saw the Tardis destroy itself!" The Master Ganon exclaimed.

The Doctor paid him no mind, focusing on the return of his oldest companion.

"Come on, old girl. What've you got for me this time?"

The doors to the Tardis opened, allowing her passengers to exit.

Midna's heartrate increased as she watched them. "Link?"

From the Tardis exited the greatest warriors of Hyrule's history. The Hero of Time. The Hero of the Minish Cap. The Hero of Four Swords. The Hero of the Sky. And the Hero of Twilight.

**It would seem Doctor Who rules apply even in a crossover fanfiction, namely that the main characters ever rarely stay dead anymore unless it's of old age.**

**Also, you can probably guess what the song is if you're a Doctor Who fan.**


	16. Time to split

**Part 16: Time to split**

The Doctor, having met himself before, wasn't too surprised by the sight he was seeing. He simply walked over and shook his Link's hand. "Link, old boy, good to see you again. Especially since you've brought the old girl back."

"Actually, Doctor, it's more like she brought us here."

The Doctor smiled. "Yes she did." He turned to the Tardis. "Oh, you great big beautiful, sexy thing, I've got to learn to stop underestimating you! When we get home we're heading straight to Cardiff and you can soak up as much as you want! You've earned it."

The Links looked over to the Master Ganon, still standing in a state of complete dumbfoundment.

"Is that the Master?" Link asked.

"Partly. It seems old Ganondorf had a few control issues of his own." The Doctor explained. "Likes to call itself "The Master Ganon". That should tell you all you need to know in few short words."

The monster glared at the hero. "I know for a fact that the Angels got you, boy. You couldn't possibly have survived."

"I don't think I did." Link said. "But I'm here now so I don't think it really matters."

"Though I have been meaning to ask you about that." The Doctor commented.

"The Ocarina of Time survived the Angels and healed me and the Tardis with Time Energy." Link explained.

"Really?"

"Maybe. I'm not really clear on a lot that's been happening today."

"Ah, don't worry about it. We'll figure it out when we're done here."

The other Links directed the present Link's attention to the surrounding area, where he could see the beaten and battered bodies of his friends.

Link clenched his fist in anger. "You're going to pay for what you've done to them, Ganon, or Master, or whatever you want to call yourself."

"I'm going to pay?" The Master Ganon laughed. "You don't seem to realize how great of a card you've dealt me!"

The Links were confused.

"I have all the memories of past Ganons, remember?" The monster said. "Including those of Demise. I know the stories of all these heroes that you've brought to face me. And I know that if I kill just one of them, then the line of reincarnation is prematurely cut and all the events that lead us to this moment would likely never happen in the first place then. The paradox would wipe out your world, boy, and the Ganondorf of the timeline I cut would rule unopposed! You think you've found a way to fight for your worlds? No, you've just given me another way to hurt it."

The monster laughed loudly, but the Links stood their ground. "You may be right, Master Ganon, but there's one thing you seem to have forgotten about." Said the present Link.

"What?"

Link drew out his sword and shield and readied his stance, the others following suit.

"You have to actually kill us first."

The Master Ganon hesitated no longer and blasted his fire breath at the heroes, who threw up their shields for protection. The monster then leapt through the flames to impale one of the heroes. But the hero he attacked was the Hero of Four Swords, who spilt himself into his four forms to evade the attack. Each of the four slashed what they could reach of the monster, causing visible scars on his arm.

The Master Ganon grimaced in pain, thrashing his arm to the side to swat away the multi-colored heroes. But soon after the Hero of Time and the Hero of Twilight got behind him and slashed at the back of his knees, causing him to howl as he fell forward to the ground.

His arms braced himself from the fall. When he tilted his head back up he found the Hero of the Sky, raising his sword to the heavens.

"Don't. You. Dar-"

The hero let lose his Skyward Strike, causing a deep gash between the monster's neck and shoulder.

The regeneration energy leaked from him, trying to repair what it could. He attacked the Hero of the Sky fiercely, his trident keeping the boy off-balance.

"I remember you well, boy! I kill you and the line never begins!"

The Master Ganon knocked the hero over and attempted to impale him. But out of nowhere his left eye was slashed. He dropped his trident and placed his hand over his bleeding eye as he howled in pain. With his remaining good eye he could the small green blur of the Hero of the Minish Cap jump down from his face.

"You insignificant, little-!"

The Hero of the Sky hit him again with the Skyward Strike.

…

The Doctor was off by the Tardis, watching the many Links dogpile on the Master Ganon. He wasn't a fighter in the same way Link was but he certainly was going to be able to aid him through what he observed.

"You know, the Master handled being stabbed in the eye with a lot more dignity." He commented to the Tardis. "Healed from it faster too. Sure that was an arrow and not a tiny sword, but the point remains valid (boy, he's been hit with a lot of arrows today, hasn't he?). …No…no, I suppose he didn't take it well when Link slashed him before either. What was it he called the sword back at his place? …Oh right, you were in another dimension at the time. Sorry."

The Doctor scanned the Links as they crossed in front of his sonic in the fight.

"Let's see…he's got it…he's got it…he's definitely got it…he's got it…hmm…" The Doctor looked at his screwdriver. "I think we might have it as well. Back in a tick, dear."

The Doctor ran over to the battle. Master Ganon was busy thrashing every which way, knocking over and attempting mutilation on every Link he could find in blind fury. He didn't even notice the Doctor until he caught his attention.

"Excuse me! Mind if I test a theory?"

"What?"

The Doctor brought the Sonic Screwdriver up to his eye and activated it. The monster's eye dilated sharply before he quickly grasped his hand over it in howling pain.

"Aha! I was right!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"WHY?! WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE GODDAMN EYE?!"

The Doctor turned to the Links. "Thank you, Gents. You can go back to your business." And he ran back to the Tardis.

The other Links were confused by what just happened, but the present Link told them to trust the Doctor's judgement. As the Master Ganon got back up, his left eye still bleeding, the heroes decided their focus was needed more here at the moment.

The Doctor worked away inside the Tardis, hitting every button and lever he needed to make the adjustments. The monitor showed the battle outside, as the five (technically eight) Links fought the behemoth.

"Just one more minute, lad." The Doctor said as he frantically moved about. "Expand the bubble. Stabilize the air. Increase the range. Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow. And…!" He stuck the sonic into a slot in the machine. "…Voila!"

In the middle of battle the Master Ganon stopped and clutched his head, screaming.

"What-what is this pain?!"

Loudspeaker feedback echoed as the Doctor spoke from the Tardis. "That, my enormous friend, is a specific frequency traveling through your head and into the back of your brain. I can't feel anything. I doubt there's anyone around here for miles except for a few remaining Daleks that going through what you are now! Hey Link, remember when I scanned your sword? Guess where I got this frequency from!"

Link chuckled at his friend. Then he and the other Links noticed what was happening to their swords. They were glowing brighter and brighter blue.

The Doctor continued. "You see, Mr. Master Ganon, it bugged me for a while now how Link's sword did more than just be a sword until I witness this little scrap we have going here. The legends were true. The Blade of Evil's Bane: the sword that emits a frequency that reacts to the malice of a person and cuts right to 'em! A creature of pure hatred like a Dalek wouldn't stand a chance, and you? Well the two people you're made up of were certainly no peaches. Honestly it's a bit fairytale for my usual taste but you don't like it and that's good enough for me!"

The Master Ganon attempted to stand properly, but he couldn't regain his balance and his vision refused to align. All he could muster were pants and grunts. The Links surrounded him.

"Explains why your healing isn't going so well anymore, doesn't it?" The Doctor continued. "Because you aren't just being attacked by one version of the frequency but five! Different names, different forms, different abilities, but all these swords carry the exact same frequency that is boring into your mind right now! Different cases, same software, and one main purpose: to give you the biggest headache of your lives!" The Doctor pulled the lever down as far as it would go, causing the swords to glow the brightest they've ever been. "He's all yours, boys!"

On the Doctor's signal the Heroes of Hyrule attacked. As they moved swiftly around him, the Master Ganon fought however he could, with all the strength and power he could summon. But the heroes were quick to overpower him. The Tardis-aided Master Swords cut through the monster, his dark magics unable to match up to light that opposed it. The regeneration energy was barely able to keep up anymore and eventually that would give out too. The heroes continued to cut him down, breaking him bit by bit as the deep gashes in his arms, legs, and chest bled out.

It was when his hand touched the pool formed from his own blood that his mind went red.

"No…NO…! I will not…I WILL NOT BE DENIED AGAIN!"

The creature gave fully into the rage of the two men that formed it and roared as a pure beast. Its animalistic movements were unpredictable as it began a barrage of Twilight energy blast and attacked everything in sight. The heroes used their swords to bounce what they could back, but the sheer number was too much to counter them all. The Master Ganon charged through the heroes, shaking the ground as it went. The heroes continued to strike the monster, but in his feral state he barely registered the pain. All it could think of, all it knew, was that it had to kill them. Just one or all if it wanted and it would win.

He then charged straight at the Tardis, recognizing it as something that needed to die.

"Oh, that's not good." Was what the Doctor said right before the beast smashed right into the Tardis, sending it tumbling. It attacked the Tardis over and over, bouncing the Doctor every which way inside.

It was on the fourth smack that the Links managed to catch up with the Master Ganon and draw its attention again.

Thanks to its stabilization mechanics, the Tardis was able to land right-side up. The Doctor was a bit slow and woozy in getting up.

"Well, that surprisingly doesn't happen all that often." The Doctor said as he steadied himself. He checked the controls. "The frequency…the frequency is still going. But…but it's still not enough!" The Doctor cursed. "We're almost there, so close to it! We just need…something! Anything! Point one percent of anything effective would be enough to turn this in our favor! We just need something!"

The Links continued to fight the even more monstrous Master Ganon, as they struggled on with the beast nearly eating them at several points.

And off to the side of the commotion, Midna crawled.

…

She kept crawling and never stopping, pushing herself until she finally reached to crater Zelda laid in. "Midna?" Zelda said weakly. "Is-is that you?"

Midna nodded, hating to see her friend in such a broken state. "I need your help." She said, as she slowly helped Zelda sit up. Zelda winced in the pain of her arm. "I need you to use your Light Bow."

Zelda shook her head. "I-I can't pull the string without my arm."

"I'll be your arm." Midna said. "You saved me before with the Triforce of Wisdom. That bond is still there. I can pull it for you."

Zelda tried to bring it forth with her good arm, but the stress on her was too much and she couldn't fully materialize it. "I'm sorry, Midna. I-I can't."

"You have to." Midna said. "I know it hurts. But they need it. They need one final push to stop Ganon. They need us, Zelda. We have to succeed."

Zelda saw the look in Midna's eyes, the final fires, and nodded. Fighting through the pain further than she ever had before, Zelda brought forth the Light Bow. As Midna got into position behind her, Zelda said "I've enough for one shot."

Her brow sweating, Midna nodded and pulled back the string.

Zelda held the bow steady as she could. Midna wanted to end her friend's pain as soon as possible but could not fire yet. With the Master Ganon thrashing about at the Links she couldn't get a clear shot. She had to wait.

The eternity of seconds crawled by, Zelda holding out her strength as long as she could. Midna just needed one clear shot. Just one…

The beast pinned down the Hero of the Sky under its massive hand and paused to strike.

_"There!"_

Midna released the arrow, the bow vanishing as soon as she did, allowing Zelda to breathe again.

Like a bolt of lightning the arrow cut through the air and struck the monster in the head. It didn't get far in and its power was only enough to stun it for just a moment. But that moment was all that was needed. The other Links helped bounce the present Link skywards. He spun in midair and with every last bit of his strength he crashed his sword right into the monster's skull through the arrow.

"YES!" The Doctor jumped up and cheered from inside the Tardis.

The monster's roar soon turned into the screams of two men, as from the slash burst forth tremendous energy, sending shockwaves throughout the area. The dark powers of Ganon split from the regeneration energy of the fallen Time Lord. Their screams continued in unison until they were heard no more.

The Links sheathed their swords. It was finally over.

The Doctor ran out his Tardis, completely ecstatic. "HAHAAA! Well done, all of you! Now that was some old fashioned knighthood (though with a modern twist because people love that sort of thing)! Well done! Oop! Better goes spread the congratulations." He said as he ran over to Clara.

"How you feeling, Ms. Oswald?" He asked as he helped her up.

"I'm definitely asking for tomorrow off." She said.

The Doctor smiled at his companion. "Tell you what, when we get back, I'll set you up at a spa. No other planet or pocket dimension. It'll be on Earth. Nice and boring, just like you'd like it."

Clara smiled back. "I appreciate it Doctor, but you and I both know that'll mean some mud aliens will be there waiting for us too. Rather save that for a day where I don't actually need to relax."

"Postpone then?"

"That's all I ask."

While the Doctor and Clara talked the Heroes of Hyrule went over to the princesses. The many Links were of course quite surprised to see a Zelda different than the ones each respectively knew, but they decided to stuff their surprise for the moment and worked on getting her broken arm into a splint.

The present Link had gone straight to Midna. She looked at him with quiet awe. "Link…is that really you?"

Link knelt down to her. "Yeah, it's me. I'm s-oof!" He said when Midna tightly hugged him.

"I thought…I thought I lost you…" She said quietly.

Not the best with words, Link simply held her tighter.

When the moment passed Link helped her to her feet and the other Links did the same for Zelda. The Doctor and Clara rejoined the group. "Well, all things considered, I'd say that went better than expected, given we've actually added to our headcount." The Doctor commented. "Princess Midna, how are you feeling?"

"Better." She said. "I can feel it. Neither the Master nor Ganondorf has any pull on the power of Twilight. It's just me. Which means I can sent things right."

Midna signaled and Link let her stand on her own. She focused her power, her marking glowing bright as she commanded the Twilight once more.

After a minute, her lights faded and she turned to the group. "There. The portals are reversing. Everything should be returning to its rightful realm."

Suddenly the ground started shaking fiercely. "What now?!"

"Oh right, I forgot to mention this." The Doctor said. "You see, since the portals basically tore from the other universes to put it here, the reversing portals are now tearing apart this dimension to put it all back. Which means we should probably run back to the Tardis…like, now…"

On that note the strangest party of all time (and space) ran into the Tardis.

"Yes, yes, it's still bigger on the inside. Admire it later and don't break anything now." The Doctor said to the many Links as he got to the controls and launched the Tardis away from the crumbling ground.

"We're flying?" Clara asked. "Doctor, why aren't we just…whooshing…out?"

"Too much interference from the portals." The Doctor explained as he attempted to steer through the sky that was tearing itself apart. "We try to…whoosh…out and we very well might get caught by one of the portals in mid-jump and we'd never get put back together."

"Can we just exit through one of the portals?" Link asked.

"No. Two reasons. One: the Tardis isn't meant to be taken apart and put back together the way the portals make you travel. It severely hurts her. Two: these portals are sucking up things that originally belong to the universe they lead to. Well what do we have in here? Two people and a box from one universe, a princess from another, and six people from a third, five of which are not even from the same time period. We'd never get back that way."

As some of the Links watched out the window as building parts and Daleks tumbled past uncontrollably, Zelda asked "What is your plan, Doctor?"

The Doctor eyed the controls. "It's a risk. But if we can wait just a bit longer until the exact moment the three intersecting universes break apart from each other, then we can dematerialize and ride the wave of one of the universes right back to it. But it has to be at that exact moment of breakage."

"What happens if we're too late?" Link asked.

"Then we'll be caught in the breakage and ripped apart in the most unimaginably total way possible."

The group exchanged glances back and forth around the room. Link was the one to speak for them all. "Get us home, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled and straightened his bowtie.

Outside the storm raged as the dimension fell apart and fell into the Twilight Portals. One by one the portals took in their full and vanished. And as the last portals began to close and the dimension began to fall to nothingness, the Doctor cranked the lever. The blinking Tardis dove straight into the break, one word echoing through the final remains of the dimension.

"GERONIMOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!"

…


	17. From here we go

**Part 17: From here we go**

It was quiet in the land of Hyrule. The shot that rang out was heard for miles as the Tardis exploded forth from the Mirror Chamber.

The ship rocketed across the Gerudo desert at unparalleled speed, spinning around so fast that any observer only saw a blue blur streaking across the sky.

The box flew across the land in seconds, passing the rebuilding Hyrule Castle, across the fields, past Death Mountain and straight on towards Ordon village.

A few villagers had been looking skywards at the time and pointed the spinning box out to others in confusion. But soon enough everyone else was made aware of its presence as the Tardis sped into the village, loudly bouncing off hills and rocks as it struck them uncontrollably. Everyone in the village who was able tried to follow the box, all the way until it crashed down directly in front of Link's house. It tilted to the side for a bit before finally setting itself right-side up.

A crowd gathered around the box. The soldiers from the castle approached first, wary of the hissing the Tardis made as it allowed itself to rest. Before they could tap it with their swords the door opened up and the Doctor popped out, gleefully eyeing his surroundings. "How would you all rate that landing? 9 out 10? 10 out of 10? Dare we go up to 11?" He asked the crowd. He then saw the soldiers. "Say, have we met?"

The closest soldier then grabbed the Doctor by the collar. "I'll take that as a yes."

The soldier pinned the Doctor onto the ground. "Mr. Doctor, by the power of Hyrule, you are under arrest for fleeing from captivity and on suspicion of kidnapping the Princess."

"That won't be necessary." Came a voice from inside the Tardis.

Zelda emerged from the door, her arm in a sling, her dress in tatters, and the rest of her battered body looking like it would love a hot shower.

"Princess Zelda!" The soldiers (and quite a few villagers) exclaimed and quickly bowed to her.

Zelda continued to speak to her soldiers. "I was kidnapped, but not by the Doctor. This man here came to my rescue and saved by life. He is no enemy of Hyrule's."

The soldier pinning down the Doctor stumbled over his words. "Your highness, we're so sorry! We-"

"You were just doing your jobs as you've been instructed to in the past. There is no need to feel guilty and you shall not be punished. Now please, let the Doctor go."

The soldier quickly helped the Doctor up to his feet and profusely apologized to him.

As the children gathered around the Tardis in awe, Link, Midna, and Clara slowly exited the craft.

"Link!" Colin exclaimed as he and the other kids crowded him. Ilia had told them about Link needing to leave and though it'd been less than a day since then in Hyrule time, they'd already spent many hours fantasizing about the adventure he was on and the monsters he was beating back. Now that he was home they had to know what really happened.

"Link, where'd you go?"

"Link, what is this thing?"

"Link, where'd you get that hat?"

"Link, who is that?" One of them finally asked pointing at Midna.

Link knelt down to the child's level. "That's Midna." He said. "She's the friend who kept saving my life a few months ago."

The children kept looking at her. She hid her face slightly, afraid that the children were scared by her.

Until she heard one of them whisper to Link "She's tall!"

Rusl finally made it up to the group on his crutches. "Link, what happened to you all?"

Link sighed. "It is a very…VERY…complicated story." He told him.

Rusl nodded. "Well, if you'll come with me to my house, I can patch up anyone who needs medical attention. From the look of things that'd be all of you."

As the party headed towards Rusl's house the Doctor quickly popped his head in the Tardis to talk to the other Links.

"Uh…you all might want to stay in here for a bit. I reckon there's going to be enough to explain already without bringing you lot into it. So just uh…stay here for now. I think I have a Wii somewhere you can play with, sooooo…have fun with that." The Doctor locked the door behind him as he left and ran off to the others.

…

As expected, there was a lot for them to explain and thankfully, the Doctor was very good at telling stories. All the children sat starry-eyed around the Doctor as he told the epic tale of knights, wizards, and princesses going up against an evil sorcerer who wanted to rule the world (at least, that's what it came out as, as none of the villagers understood the words Dalek, cyber, dimensional instability, regeneration cycle, or humany-wumany).

As Rusl was busy fitting Zelda with a proper cast Link noticed Midna slink carefully out the door. Unsure what to do he saw Clara give him the universal sign of "What are you waiting for, you idiot?" and followed after her when no one was looking.

…

He finally found her sitting in the shade of the barn where they kept the goats. It was probably the least occupied area in all the village next to Link's house (_"My kitchen is still a wreck, isn't it?"_). Link sat down next to her. "You ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, just…just felt a little cramped in there." She said.

"Yeah…I suppose you always stayed in my shadow whenever we were around anyone else back then. Must feel weird now."

"Yeah."

The silence between the two was painful and Midna was the first to break it.

"Your sky has some good novelty to it." She said.

"Novelty?"

"Yeah, how it changes from light to dark throughout the day. I mean, it's not as beautiful as twilight but I suppose I can understand why you Hylians like it so much. It's…it's pretty impressive."

Link chuckled a little. "Yeah, I suppose it is."

The silence arrived again until finally Midna had to quit avoiding it.

"I thought you were dead." She said, not looking at him.

"Yeah…" Link answered, not sure of what to say.

Midna swallowed. "When it happened…all I could think of was…when we parted at the Mirror Chamber…and what I said to you back in Dwani …and how I…how I…"

Midna turned to face Link. "Link…I love you."

Link's heart did every jump imaginable. Unfortunately, his eyes could see the look of sadness on her face. "But…" He started for her.

"But…" Midna said, finding she couldn't look at him anymore. "But I still can't take you away from here. This is your home and these are the people that mean everything to you. I would never forgive myself for taking you from them and I don't think you would either…"

"I understand…" Was all Link could get out.

Midna started to tear up, though was careful not to show it. "I don't know why I told you that. I…I guess after the Angels got you I realized…I didn't want you to go thinking that you meant nothing to me…"

Link quickly hugged her. Midna didn't resist. "I love you." He said as he held her. "No matter what happens now, I will never regret having you in my life. I can't even imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn't met you that day."

"Furry and short." She joked. Both had to laugh a little at that.

They finally parted. "I'll never forget you, Midna."

Midna brushed the tears from her eyes. "You too, Link." She said. "If only dimensions weren't so far apart, right? …You could come with again…"

"Why can't he?" A voice said, startling them both. They looked to where the voice came from and it was Ilia, eyeing the couple from the side of the barn. "Why can't he go with you?" She asked again.

Link scratched his head, not sure how to explain it. "It's complicated." He said.

"Oh really?" She said, raising an eyebrow. "Midna, right?"

"Yeah…?" She said.

Ilia then grabbed her arm. "Let's go talk." She said and started dragging the Twili woman around the corner of the barn.

Link tried to run after. "Wait, what are you-"

"Link, no! Stay!" Ilia said, stopping him in his tracks. "This is girl talk." She said, going around the corner. Like a dog (interestingly enough) he stayed put. The male part of his brain then realized that the two women who knew him better than anyone else in the world were now talking to each other alone and he felt slightly uneasy.

Around the corner, safe from Link's ears, Ilia said "Ok, since it's too complicated for him to explain, why don't you tell me?"

Admittedly admiring the girl's forwardness, Midna decided to comply. "My home…it's a completely different world. One that never connects to Hyrule (unless of course something really bad happens). The Doctor's box is the last way back. Once he brings me home and goes back to his own world, that's it. Hyrule and the Twilight Realm have no passage between them anymore."

Ilia absorbed this information. "You still haven't explained why Link can't just ride in the box with you back to your world."

Midna blinked. "Didn't you hear me? Once we go there's no going back. Link would never be able to come back to this village. You'd never see him again."

"But does he want to go?"

"Of course he does, but he understands why he can't leave, why don't you?" Midna asked. "Link loves this village. He can't just abandon everyone who cares about him."

"Instead he'll lose the person who loves him." Ilia said, showing how much of the conversation she'd overheard.

"He'll have you to love him." Midna said.

"How did you-?" She started to ask but then stopped. "Yes. I love Link and that's why I'm doing this. For the same reasons you're telling him to stay, I'm telling you it's ok for him to go. You don't want him to abandon those he cares about? Well I'm one of those people and I think I can speak for every one of the others when I say we owe him so much. He's given us everything time and again. Don't you think we want him to be happy in thanks for it all?"

"It's not that simple."

"Yes it is." Ilia argued. "Link wouldn't be abandoning us, just leaving us. Abandoning us would mean that we're all completely reliant on Link and would never survive without him."

"Considering Link has stood in the way of Armageddon twice now that is kind of the case."

"Which is why we've been changing." She said. "Do you know how many of the villagers have been inspired by Link? How many of those kids want to grow up to be just as strong as him? You think you'd be selfish to take him away, well, do you think any of the villagers care so little about him that they'd be selfish enough to demand he stay? We all want to pull our own weight so he doesn't have to, especially when it keeps him from what makes him happy."

Midna found herself at a loss for words. She had convinced herself that Link had to stay in his realm because his people loved him. And now here was one of those people, telling her they love him enough to let him go.

"I…I don't know what to say." Midna said.

"Say it to Link." Ilia said. "If you still think you know what's best for him, then I won't fight you on it anymore."

Both women walked back to Link, who of course wondered what they'd been talking about. Midna didn't speak at first, still pondering what was the best choice to make, and in the end, decided to go with her first instinct, one she'd had for a while now.

Midna grabbed Link by the collar and crammed his lips to hers, causing Link and Ilia to go wide-eyed in surprise. When the kiss finally broke she said "You're coming home with me. Get it?"

"Got it."

"Good." And then she passionately kissed him again.

Ilia, watching the rather abrupt sight, felt a small sadness in her heart, but the smile she wore on her face was not fake. If there was one thing Link had always been to her, even before her feelings developed, it was her friend.

…

The village threw a small feast in the hours after their arrival. Many were of course upset that Link was leaving, but after Ilia explained why, they did as she said they would and wished him farewell, seeing that it was all the more reason to live it up now.

Much joy and fun was had, even after Clara took the slingshot away from the Doctor ("I just wanted to show off a little." "You hit yourself three times with the exact same shot." "That was just a practice shot.") and the hours rolled on until finally, the time to leave came.

Though the guards wanted to return to the castle Zelda had insisted on staying to see her friends off. She was there at the front of the crowd gathered around the Tardis.

"What you have all done this day…I cannot thank you enough. We would have lost everything if it hadn't been for you. I'd have been dead if you hadn't come to my rescue. If any of you should ever find yourselves in need again…you may declare the kingdom of Hyrule as your ally."

"Hopefully there'll be a few less Daleks next time." Clara said.

"And a few more Jammie Dodgers instead." The Doctor added. "Don't know why, but I've had a strange craving for them today."

Link handed the Ocarina of Time and the Master Sword to Zelda. "I shall see to it that both are laid to proper rest, until the next hero needs them." Zelda confirmed to him.

Link nodded. "Until next time, Princess."

"Until next time, Hero of Hyrule."

The villagers waved, cried, and shook Link's hands as they all said their goodbyes. Link and Ilia hugged, her jokingly threatening him that if he took Midna for granted, she'd find a way over and knock some sense into him.

Colin said his goodbyes, holding back his tears by simply saying he'd make Link proud. Link had no doubt about that.

Rusl simply shook his hand. They'd known each other long enough to understand.

Farewells said, the doors to the Tardis closed and the villagers got to see one last miracle for the day, as before their eyes the blue box vanished within the dramatic winds.

…

"That lot do not take losing video games well." The Doctor commented as they dropped off the last of the Links back to his own time. "Honestly, I've seen Sontaran's with more grace that them."

The Doctor started setting coordinates in the controls when Link asked him a question that'd been bugging him for a while. "Doctor, all those other…me's…were my past lives. How come I don't have their memories of aiding us against the Master Ganon?"

"It's a consequence of being out of synch with their timestreams. Happened to me loads of times before. Nice little trick the universe does to prevent paradoxes. The moment they stepped off they forgot about the big adventure they were just on, the monster they fought, and the sword they stuck through my game station (seriously, that was a classic)."

After a bit the Doctor addressed Link and Midna again. "Ok, give me another minute and I'll be able to pop us right into your dimension."

"Hopefully with no Angels or robots waiting for us?" Midna asked.

"Not to worry, the portals did the trick. Everything's put back where it should be. The Angels are back in our world and the palace is back in yours. Even what was left of the Master and Ganon was likely sent back home. The only thing that got a little messy were those Shadow Daleks, and I mean literally messy."

"How so?"

The Doctor turned to them. "Well…the Daleks come from our world, but they were pretty heavily infused with energy from your world. In the end they had two different worlds tugging on them and the result of that is…well…" The Doctor gestured with his hands to show what happened.

Midna tilted her head back. "Good riddance."

A light suddenly went off in Link's head. "That reminds me. Doctor, did we ever find out who wrote that message?"

"What message?"

"The one in the ruins of the Sacred Forest. The one that told me to keep the Master Sword."

The Doctor looked off for a minute before bolting upright. "Oh! Good thing you reminded me about that, lad!" He then turned to the controls. "Alright, everyone, pit stop before we go!"

The Tardis whooshed until it landed and the Doctor ran out the door, screwdriver out. It only took a minute and then he was back in. "Alright, let's go."

Link just looked at him. "What did you just do?"

"I wrote the message."

"…You wrote the message?"

"Yes."

"…Why?"

"So you'd see it in a couple hundred years and know to keep the sword with you. It was a big key to victory after all so we had to make sure you took it with."

"But-but you only knew about the message because I told you about it!"

"Yes, and that's how I knew I had to write it before we left."

"…That makes no sense!"

"It makes perfect sense, you just don't see how!"

As Link and the Doctor argued over the logic of the timey-wimey effect Midna turned to Clara and asked "Is it always like this?"

"You should've been here last week. There were three of him arguing with each other about catch-phrases."

…

On the land floating in the orange-lit sky the blue box materialized into the realm. The passengers stepped out, Midna being the first and being quite happy to see the palace right back where it should be.

As Midna showed Clara around the outside of the palace, letting her get the real, less life-threatening glimpse of her world, the Doctor took Link to the side. "You sure this is what you want?" He asked, being one of the few to do so. "Running away from home to a new exotic world, trust me, I know the feeling, but this is much more permanent than a travel trip. You sure this is what you want?"

Link thought for a moment before giving him the answer he was sure of. "I'm not running away, because I'm staying right here."

The Doctor smiled. "Good lad."

He offered his hand to him and Link shook it. "Safe travels, Doctor."

"Never going to happen."

Midna and Clara came back and final goodbyes were said. The Doctor and his companion entered the Tardis and Link and Midna watched as it faded away, enjoying the sound of its travel.

Midna looked across her land. "There's a lot of rebuilding to do."

Link took her hand. "Then let's get started."

**It's not over quite yet. Stay tuned.**


	18. Epilogue 1

**Epilogue 1:**

…100+ years later…

On a bright sunny day in the land of Hyrule, the queen has ordered her guard to stay outside her room so that she may rest. She needs to rest more and more often now, but that's fine with her. Her children are more than capable of managing the kingdom in her absence.

As she struggles slightly to sleep she is startled by a sudden noise. Her eyes go wide at first but then her fear is wiped away when she remembers that she's heard this noise before. The wheezing whoosh of the most magnificent thing she'd ever seen. The blue box that faded into existence at the end of her bed. And as the doors opened, an old friend popped out.

"Doctor." She said with a smile.

He smiled back. "Hello, Princess."

"That's Queen now."

"Ah, moving up in the world, are we?"

"I was finally able to finish my coronation uninterrupted after you all left. I was able to get a lot done after our adventure." She said. Then she thought for a moment. "I thought you went back home to your world and closed it back off."

"I did. Well, I am, in about, oh, maybe five minutes relative to when you last saw me."

"Really?"

"Well…remember back then in the village when I had to use the little Time Lord's room? I did…but then I got curious."

Zelda chuckled a little. "You went exploring."

"Well it's been a while since I've been to an alternate universe with the option of travel available. Impulse sorta took control."

"Is it ever not in control?"

"Nope."

Zelda laughed softly to herself as the Doctor continued talking. "Lot of fun this place was. Except for that underwater temple, hated that, but that city in the sky was great, ohh, and that ice dungeon! And that mountain dungeon! Oh, I've never had so many places to explore in one tour through a kingdom! Though I may have developed a small fear of chickens from it. Hopefully that won't last long."

"Usually you'd have to be a destined hero to go on a journey like that."

"Well, can't let them have all the fun."

"And now you're here." Zelda said, getting serious. "May I ask why?"

"Can't I just stop by the say hello to an old friend?"

"You will always have that right, Doctor. But that's not why you've come to see me, is it?"

The Doctor avoided her gaze for just a second.

"It's because I'm dying, isn't it?" She said.

He nodded slightly. "Time Lords have the ability to feel the rotation of the universe and everything in it. And when I first got here I was able to find you because everything was rotating around you."

"And as you went back in time I imagine everything rotated around the other Zeldas."

Again, the Doctor nodded. "Your universe rotates around that reincarnating line and when one is not born yet the universe just rotates around itself like any other universe would. And in a couple of days…it's going to again."

Zelda laid with her back against the pillow. "You don't seem all that surprised by this." The Doctor commented.

"You don't have to look so sullen, Doctor." She said, clearly not upset. "I haven't been stabbed or poisoned, I'm simply old. Happens to us all, though it seems to take longer for some others." She said, clearly referencing him.

The Doctor smiled a bit again. "Well, figured you might enjoy a friendly face. I think that's what this one is, though I might have double-check again."

"So what's your real reason for coming here?"

"To ask you a question."

"What?"

The Doctor leaned in close. "What's something you've always wanted to see?"

…

The Doctor pushed open the doors of the Tardis for her. She didn't need his help to stay standing. Her awe was enough to keep her up.

Outside the doorframe was the universe. Everything including Hyrule and beyond. The blackness of space constantly interrupted by the bright stars and nebulas twisting through it. In every direction of the infinite beyond, there was something incredible. It was more than she'd ever thought it could be and could barely speak.

Without daring to look away she asked the Doctor "You see this every day?"

"Yeah."

"Do you ever get sick of it?"

The Doctor smiled. "Never."

Comets and stars flashed past the box as it shifted slightly, allowing more of the vast space to be viewed. The sun which the planets orbited around revealed itself, lighting up the inside of the Tardis. With the safeties on, the light did not hurt and Zelda looked on. Hours could have passed and she would not have noticed or cared. This was beyond what she'd thought she'd ever see.

Finally she stopped watching when something new occurred to her. She turned to him. "Doctor, how long did you stay you'd be away from my past self?"

"About five minutes."

"And how long will we be away from the castle?"

"About five minutes, relative to them."

"Then, if we may, there is one thing I'm curious about."

…

The Tardis materialized onto a stone pathway and the two got out. The first thing Zelda noticed was the golden orange sky.

"Are we in the Twilight Realm?" She asked.

"Not technically. We're outside Hyrule castle, some hundred years in your future."

Many people and booths were set up throughout the city and the people were quite excited. "Is there some sort of festival going on?"

"Well they all certainly have cause to celebrate. Come along." He said as he led her through the crowd.

They pushed their way to until they reached the densest part of the crowd. From there they could see the opening in front of the castle doors and the small group before them. A man and a woman, likely the future king and queen of Hyrule given their impressive looking clothing and the guards around them. And with them were many people who were certainly not Hylian, but Twili, the tallest of which in their realm's version of royal clothing, laughing with the royal couple and shaking hands with them.

Zelda could barely believe what she saw before her. "…How?"

"Simply put, it's a bit of a dimensional Harmonic Convergence." The Doctor explained. "Every now and then different universes will line up just perfectly enough that they will temporally meld with each other, with no cracks formed I might add, and the inhabitants of such can crossover with each other for that period of time, if they're aware how."

The Doctor pointed to the future Hyrule Queen. "That woman there, Victoria, spent her entire childhood hearing the stories of the Twili, people who though descended from criminals became the most peaceful people Hyrule had ever known and at one time and another, were Hyrule's greatest allies. She wanted to find them again and build a new bridge between them, like the words in her stories always hoped. Your words. The ones you recorded into your Hyrule Historia. All this is because you wanted to make sure the Twili were never forgotten."

Zelda didn't know what to say. She just kept watching until she felt there was something familiar about the Twilight King. "The tallest Twili…" She said. "Is that…Link and Midna's descendant?"

The Doctor raised his finger up to lips and smiled. "Spoilers. Let's just say that the queen wasn't the only one inspired by the stories of the past to reach out."

Zelda now noticed the bulge in the future queen's stomach. "Is she pregnant?"

"About six months. Three more and Hyrule will have a new princess, whom she will name Zelda, after the former ruler who inspired her."

Zelda's look turned sullen. "Then trouble cannot be far off for this generation. Every time I am reborn into the world that is a signal that some new evil is to rise or rise again to strike at Hyrule."

The Doctor wasn't worried. "Well of course there's going to be trouble. There's always going to be trouble, no matter where or when you go. That's why you have people who stop the trouble."

He turned around to face the opposite direction of the castle. "Somewhere out there that new evil is getting ready to strike, but also somewhere out there the next in Link's reincarnation line is going to pop up and in some years after that both the Link and Zelda of this generation will strike back at that new evil. It didn't stand a chance."

"And how do you know all this?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I got a little nosey."

Zelda finally smiled again and the two stayed to enjoy the rest of the festivities.

…

Queen Zelda climbed back into her bed as the Doctor checked the time. "Ah, five minutes on the dot. Knew I'd get it right at least once."

"Doctor, thank you for today." Zelda said. "What you showed me…it really meant a lot."

The Doctor pocketed his watch. "Well, even though it doesn't always work out, I always try to give those I've traveled with a proper send off."

"It's just…in my old age I just started thinking more about it. Everything that's happened over the years…everything I hoped might help my children and their children…I just wanted to make sure the work we all did mattered…that in the long run, we mattered."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it too much." The Doctor said happily. "In over two thousand years of travelling through space and time I've never once met anyone who didn't matter and do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because whether they know it or not, they always make themselves matter."

As the Doctor turned to leave, Zelda quickly said "Doctor?"

"Hmm?"

"You showed me the future. That someday Hyrule and the Twilight Realm will meet again. But what about you? After you leave, will we ever see you again?"

The Doctor took a moment before answering. "The Time Lords…back when…they used to be able to monitor space-time. They made travel between parallel dimensions relatively simple. They're a bit…lost…at the moment…and now travel between them is nearly impossible except under extremely extreme and unlikely circumstances, the "Master Ganon" being a case in point."

"The Time Lords…your people?"

The Doctor nodded. "They're out there somewhere. Somewhere out there, Gallifrey is waiting for me to come home."

He looked back at Zelda. "So I'll tell you what: when my people find their way back to me, I'll find my way back to you."

"Do you promise, Doctor?"

"I'll do you one better and look forward to it."

Zelda let the Doctor go back on his way and when the Tardis faded back out one of the guards came in.

"Your Highness, we've been hearing some strange noises in here. Is everything alright?"

Zelda pushed her finger up to her lips and smiled. "Spoilers."

**In case anyone is wondering, the other Link's were still in the Tardis during this time, they were just in the back in the game room getting really pissed off at Mario Party.**


	19. Epilogue 2

**Epilogue 2:**

Link and Midna relaxed in each other's arms on the balcony, just dreamily watching the sky together.

Suddenly a familiar "whooshing" sound catches their attention, as they look over and spot the Tardis materializing near the door. From inside the Tardis exits two people Link and Midna do not recognize.

A thin male in a long, brown coat with gorgeous spiked hair and bizarre shoes. The other a blond woman with what appeared to be a flag of sorts on her shirt.

The man spoke to Link and Midna. "Oh! Hello there! Sorry to pop in on you like this. I'm the Doctor and this is Rose. We're just a bit lost and were hoping you could tell us where we are."

"Uhhhhhhhhhh….." was all the two could manage to get out.

**Author's notes: Hey, thanks to everyone for sticking with this story to the end. I'm sorry if it got a little slow and corny at parts but I do hope you all enjoyed it. I'm honestly not sure why I decided to write a Doctor Who/Twilight Princess crossover. I think it was just something that happened. One summer I got really into Doctor Who and had beaten Twilight Princess and suddenly thought **_**"I wonder…"**_**. Or maybe I just wanted Link and Midna to get back together and the Doctor seems good at fixing relationships (and I imagine he could totally sympathize with the whole "Dimensional Separation of Lovers" thing).**

**If anyone wants to write a story based on this feel free, just make sure to send me a link because I would love to read someone else's work.**

**And as always don't hesitate to post your thoughts about this story because I always appreciate feedback, positive or negative. Thanks again!**


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